Effective Monday, March 23rd, Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) is suspending its urbanized area service to Chatham, Riverton, Rochester, and Sherman due to low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Passengers normally riding the UA1, UA2, UA3 and UA4 routes to and from those communities that still need transportation can call SMTD’s Access paratransit office at (217) 522-8594 to be set up in the system to schedule rides.

"Suspending service to Chatham, Riverton, Rochester, and Sherman while fewer passengers are riding the fixed routes allows us to better allocate the resources necessary to supplement our fixed route operations and focus cleaning efforts on fewer vehicles," said SMTD’s Managing Director, Frank Squires.

Access Paratransit is on-demand service generally running as complimentary service in areas in and around fixed route service to accommodate passengers that qualify under certain Americans With Disability Act (ADA) guidelines. The service usually costs twice what fixed route costs to ride. However, SMTD is not charging fares right now due to COVID-19, so there is no fare for this temporary service.

"Right now, with fewer people riding, our paratransit operations can support any increase from additional passengers in the outlying communities that normally ride fixed route buses," Squires added. "As restrictions are lifted and people head back to work and start riding again, we will re-evaluate and make a decision on the right time to restart the urbanized area routes."

SMTD is also closing to the public its customer service areas at the main offices on South 9th Street at close of business today in order to further reduce employee contact with the public that could spread the virus. No fare is being collected right now, so the sale of bus passes is not necessary at the moment. Employment applications usually accepted at the reception window can be found online at SMTD.org.

SMTD is evaluating operations daily and following recommendations from public health officials and the CDC. The public is advised to stay home, and anyone who is sick is asked to avoid using SMTD in order to protect bus operators and other passengers. In addition to SMTD’s regular daily cleaning of buses as they return to base, buses are being disinfected daily, Monday through Saturday, breakrooms and facilities are being disinfected daily, operators are equipped with gloves, disinfecting wipes and sanitizer, and employees and passengers are being reminded of the basic cleanliness recommendations the CDC has been publicizing for individuals for the last two weeks.