Go West Transit

Last updated
Go West Transit
Founded1998
Headquarters701 East Pierce Street
Locale Macomb, Illinois
Service area McDonough County, Illinois
Service type Bus service, paratransit
Routes17
Fleet18 buses
Website Go West Transit

Go West Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in McDonough County, Illinois with routes serving Western Illinois University and the Macomb area. The system runs 17 routes with over 100 stops and is the only fare-free transit system in Illinois. [1] As of 2019, the system provided 841,943 rides over 45,934 annual vehicle revenue hours with 18 buses and 10 paratransit vehicles. [2]

Contents

History

Public transit in Macomb began in 1903 with electric streetcars operated by Macomb & Western Illinois Railway Company. However these were discontinued after only 7 years. Later, Macomb Transit Co. provided bus service in the city, but this too was discontinued in the latter half of the twentieth century. [3]

In May 1998, Western Illinois University students voted 78% in favor of assessing a fee on themselves for the purpose of providing a bus system. This service began in February 1999 with one route. [4] The first day saw 3 buses serving 1200 riders. By April, 3 more routes had begun service, with another route being added in October and one more in May of 2000. Ridership the first year totaled 648,891. Ridership reached 1.09 million in 2004 increasing to 1.35 million in 2006. In 2008, the Federal Transit Association (FTA) awarded Go West with a Ridership Award. Real time bus tracking began in fall 2009 with individualized bus stop texting to provide schedule times beginning in January 2010. [5] [6]

Since 1999, Go West Transit has served over 28.5 million riders with the all time ridership record occurring on October 29, 2011 with 15,885 riders.

Service

Go West Transit operates fare-free buses on a pulse system with buses departing the city center bus transfer center at 10 and 40 past the hour. Hours of operation for regular routes are Monday through Friday from 6:58 A.M. to 6:10 P.M. and on Saturday from 11:10 A.M. to 5:10 P.M. Specific evening and weekend service is provided while WIU is in session, as well as dedicated routes from campus to Amtrak services at Macomb station. [7]

Fares of $0.50 were in place from 2007-2009, excepting children, WIU students, those with disabilities and seniors. After fares were eliminated, ridership increased more than 200%. [8]

City Center Transfer Center

The City Center Transfer Center serves as the primary transfer hub for Go West Transit. It is located on North Randolph Street, across from the Amtrak station and opened on December 2, 2011. The facility cost around $600,000 and provides parking for Amtrak, as well as a covered waiting area with benches and heating for riders. Previously, bus transfers occurred in the parking lot of a nearby Family Video store and earlier at Spoon River College on Johnson Street. [9]

Fixed route ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [10]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Area Rapid Transit</span> American transit agency

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 42,499,600, or about 161,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami-Dade Transit</span> Primary public transit authority of Miami, Florida

Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) is the primary public transit authority of Miami, Florida and the greater Miami-Dade County area. It is the largest transit system in Florida and the 15th-largest transit system in the United States. As of 2022, the system has 60,734,900 rides per year, or about 248,700 per weekday in the third quarter of 2023. MDT operates the Metrobus with their paratransit STS systems run by LSF. MDT also operates two rail transit systems: Metrorail and Metromover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TheBus (Honolulu)</span> Public bus transportation service on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaii

TheBus is the public bus transportation service on the island of Oʻahu, Hawai'i, in the United States. In 2022, TheBus had a ridership of 38,145,000, or about 127,700 per weekday, and its fleet comprised 518 buses and 207 paratransit vehicles. As of July 2023, these vehicles provide daily service on 117 routes, including three rapid transit routes and two limited express routes. All buses are equipped with bike racks. TheBus is privately managed by the nonprofit Oahu Transit Services Inc., which operates the system under a public-private partnership with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Transportation Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynx (Orlando)</span> Public transportation service in Orlando, Florida

Lynx is a transit system serving the greater Orlando, Florida area. Operated by the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, it provides bus, curb-to-curb, and paratransit services in three counties: Orange, Seminole, and Osceola. Bus routes are referred to as Links.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Region Transit</span> Public transit operator in York Region, Canada

York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Transit Authority</span> Public transportation operator northern Utah, United States

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Park City, Provo, Salt Lake City and Tooele. It operates fixed route buses, flex route buses, express buses, ski buses, three light rail lines in Salt Lake County (TRAX), a streetcar line in Salt Lake City, and a commuter rail train (FrontRunner) from Ogden through Salt Lake City to Provo. UTA is headquartered in Salt Lake City with operations and garages in locations throughout the Wasatch Front, including Ogden, Midvale and Orem. Light rail vehicles are stored and maintained at yards at locations in South Salt Lake and Midvale. UTA's commuter rail equipment is stored and serviced at a facility in Salt Lake City. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 31,233,700, or about 119,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Transit</span>

Burlington Transit is the public transport provider in the city of Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Services began in September 1975, after the city had been served by neighbouring systems including Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) and former subsidiary Canada Coach Lines, as well as "local" services to and from Toronto once provided by Gray Coach Lines and GO Transit along Lakeshore Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority</span>

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), branded as TheRide, is the public transit system serving the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area in the U.S. state of Michigan. In fiscal year 2021, the system had a ridership of 1,725,797.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Area Transportation Authority</span>

The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is the public transit operator serving the Lansing, Michigan area, including service on the campus of Michigan State University. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 5,874,100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation</span>

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is the public transit operator serving the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Beginning operations in 1967 as the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA), the agency was reorganized and renamed SMART in 1989. SMART operates 44 bus routes, plus paratransit and microtransit services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington Transit</span>

Arlington Transit (ART) is a bus transit system that operates in Arlington County, Virginia, and is managed by the county government. The bus system provides service within Arlington County, and connects to Metrobus, nearby Metrorail stations, Virginia Railway Express, and other local bus systems. Most ART routes serve to connect county neighborhoods to local Metrorail stations, as well as the Shirlington Bus Station. It includes part of the Pike Ride service along Columbia Pike, which is shared with WMATA. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,806,500, or about 7,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sangamon Mass Transit District</span>

The Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) is a regional mass transit district that mostly serves Springfield, Illinois along with a few neighboring communities. It is governed by a seven-member board of trustees, who are all appointed by the Sangamon County Board of Supervisors. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,124,800, or about 5,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macomb station</span>

Macomb station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Macomb, Illinois, United States. There is one daily morning train to Chicago. In the evening, the return train continues on to Quincy, Illinois. The station is a brick structure constructed around 1913 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad as designed by the railroad's architect Walter Theodore Krausch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marin Transit</span> Public bus agency in California, US

Marin Transit is a public bus agency in Marin County, California, in the United States. Originally formed in 1964 as Marin County Transit District (MCTD). Marin Transit was re-branded on 30 July 2007 and now provides a variety of fixed-route and demand-response services using contractors. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 2,628,800, or about 8,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bend Transpo</span> Municipal bus system serving South Bend, Indiana

The South Bend Public Transportation Corporation is a municipal bus system that serves the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka, as well as the nearby suburbs of Notre Dame and Roseland, in the very north of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the most recent incarnation of the South Bend Railway Company, a street railway company that was founded on May 25, 1885. Transpo receives funding from local, state and federal taxes. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,145,500, or about 4,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockford Mass Transit District</span> Bus company in Rockford, Illinois, US

The Rockford Mass Transit District is the public transportation operator for the metro area of Rockford, Illinois. Service is provided six days per week along 19 routes, with several of these routes being combined into five Sunday routes that service a large portion of the system. The core of the system is contained in The City Loop, which interconnects with every other service. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 941,400, or about 4,200 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connect Transit</span> Bus system operator in Illinois, US

Connect Transit, formerly Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System until 2012, is the primary provider of mass transportation in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. The system consists of 13 fixed routes, plus the Illinois State University Redbird Express, and two additional Express routes that operate on the busiest portions of the Lime and Red routes. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,967,000, or about 7,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Sask Transit</span> Public transit service

Fort Sask Transit (FST) is a public transit service in the city of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. It operates two routes within the city, and a third route is contracted to Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) to connect with its service network.

Quincy Transit Lines is the primary provider of mass transportation in Adams County, Illinois with four routes serving the region. As of 2019, the system provided 347,194 rides over 47,465 annual vehicle revenue hours with 8 buses and 8 paratransit vehicles.

Galesburg Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in Knox County, Illinois with routes serving the Galesburg area. As of 2019, the system provided 160,712 rides over 23,487 annual vehicle revenue hours with 4 buses and 8 demand response vehicles.

References

  1. ↑ "Local Go West only 'free' bus system in Illinois". 3 March 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ "City of Macomb Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Transit systems in Illinois" . Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Go West Transit: A good way to go" . Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ "About Go West" . Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Transreport: The Newsletter of the Illinois Rural Transit Assistance Program" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  7. ↑ "System Maps" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  8. ↑ Volinski, Joel (2012). Implementation and Outcomes of Fare-Free Transit Systems (2012). doi:10.17226/22753. ISBN   978-0-309-22361-4 . Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Go West to obtain new hub" . Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  10. ↑ "The National Transit Database (NTD)" . Retrieved January 15, 2023.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.