Today, SMTD is releasing our plan for returning to a full service schedule in the coming weeks and months as the state and city re-open.

• 3,000 rides per day would trigger consideration of return to full weekday, night and Saturday schedules (currently 2,400 riders per day);

• Masks will still be REQUIRED to ride;

• Chatham, Riverton, Rochester, Sherman service will not return until Fall 2020;

• School supplemental routes will not return until students return to campus;

• Fare will continue to be waived until further notice;

• Details at www.SMTD.org

In short, a ridership threshold of 3,000 passengers today will indicate the need for us to return to full weekday, night and Saturday schedules, and we anticipate that happening in the next couple of weeks. However, there is no date certain yet, as we continue to monitor ridership (approximately 2,400 passengers on Tuesday) and guidance from the county and state departments of public health and the CDC.

We anticipate no service restoration to Chatham, Riverton, Rochester and Sherman until this fall, and supplemental routes serving local high schools and UIS remain suspended until those institutions return students to their campuses. Regular routes to UIS continue to run on their emergency schedules. Passengers needing service to Chatham, Riverton, Rochester and Sherman can contact our Access Paratransit service to schedule rides in those areas until regular service is restored.

Face-coverings WILL continue to be REQUIRED into the foreseeable future, and no decision has been made yet on charging fare. So, rides will remain free for the time being. As service changes and any changes are made to fare policy, we will communicate to the public well in advance.