River Valley Metro Mass Transit District

Last updated
River Valley Metro Mass Transit District
RiverValley METRO logo.png
20220818 04 River Valley Metro bus, Kankakee, Illinois (52683568528).jpg
A River Valley Metro bus in 2022
FoundedSeptember 1998 (1998-09)
Headquarters1137 E. 5000N Road, Bourbonnais, Illinois
Locale Kankakee County
Service areaKankakee County
Service typeBus
Routes13 bus
1 commuter bus
Stops350+ [1]
Hubs4 (transfer centers)
DepotsMetro Centre, 1137 E. 5000N Road, Bourbonnais, IL
Fleet25 (bus) [2]
Fuel typeDiesel, Gasoline
OperatorRiver Valley Metro Mass Transit District
ChairmanMark Argyelan
Website rivervalleymetro.com

The River Valley Metro Mass Transit District (RVMMTD; River Valley Metro or METRO, for short) is a transit agency that operates buses serving Kankakee County, Illinois, and the surrounding areas.

Contents

History

Founded in 1998 and operational by 1999, River Valley Metro Mass Transit District took over the Kankakee Area Transit System (KATS) and became a means of transportation in the region. [3] [4] RVMMTD has 11 local fixed routes, 2 commuter routes, and ADA buses serving the communities of Bradley, Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Aroma Park and Manteno. The agency has also received many awards including, Metro Magazine's "Fastest Growing Transit System" in North America for 2001 and "Success in Enhancing Ridership Award" from the Federal Transit Administration in 2008 and 2009. [5]

Renovation and expansion plans

After studying a number of proposals for improving bus service, River Valley Metro added more daily trips to Midway Airport and made significant changes to local routes and schedules in 2017.

Kankakee Transfer Center Upgrade

The need for an upgrade of the current Kankakee Transfer Center, or Kankakee Metro CENTRE, has been noted since 2010. [6] Preliminary work has begun with an estimated completion in 2022. [7] [8]

Routes

River Valley Metro operates 13 fixed-regular bus routes and 1 commuter route. The Midway Airport route was added in 2014 and the University Park Metra train station commuter route was added in 2008; however, the University Park service has since been suspended. [9] [10]

Local

Commuter

Transfer Centers

There are four transfer centers in the River Valley Metro bus system, which are:

The University Park Metra Commuter route, which previously served the Bourbonnais and Manteno transfer centers, has been suspended. [13]

Fares

Service TypeFare
Local Bus Single Ride$1.00
Local Bus Single Ride - Reduced*$0.50
Local Bus Single Ride - 5 & younger/Benefit Access Program$0.00
Midway$2.00
Midway - Reduced*$1.00
Midway - 5 & younger$0.00
Monthly Pass$30
Monthly Pass - Student$20
Monthly Pass - Reduced*$15
Monthly Pass - All Inclusive**$40
20 Ride Pass$20

* Reduced fares are applicable on bus for seniors and riders with disabilities.
** All inclusive passes include access to any bus in the system, including University Park and Metro PLUS (ADA).

As of January 2024

Fixed route bus ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [14]

100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022

See also

References

  1. Provost, Lee (26 April 2013). "Heard It On The Street: Metro bus service wheeling toward 1 million riders". The Daily Journal. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  2. "Age Distribution of Active Vehicle Inventory" (XLS). American Public Transportation Association. 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  3. "About Metro". River Valley Metro. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. Harnack, Leah (June 2006). "Small Agencies, Big Ideas". Mass Transit. Archived from the original on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. "Metro Awards". River Valley Metro. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  6. "Editorial: Transfer station needed". The Daily Journal. 23 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  7. Hinderliter, David (28 May 2013). "River Valley Metro Mass Transit District Board of Director Minutes" (PDF). Meeting Minutes. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  8. "Kankakee Metro Centre". Tria Architecture, Inc. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  9. "River Valley Metro Adds Two New Routes". Cornerstone Media Online. Russell Publications Online. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  10. "University Park Service is SUSPENDED". River Valley Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  11. "Regular Fixed Route Schedules". River Valley Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  12. "University Park Service is SUSPENDED". River Valley Metro. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  13. "University Park Metra Station". River Valley Metro Mass Transit District. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  14. "The National Transit Database (NTD)" . Retrieved January 15, 2023.