Fall 2020 Schedule Changes

Here’s everything you need to know about the SMTD Fall schedule beginning on August 24th.

School Routes

As of this post, District 186 schools are still set to resume some form of in-person classes in August. We will be running our supplemental service routes to/from those schools as long as that remains true.

Urbanized Area Routes

The urbanized area commute routes servicing Chatham, Rochester, Sherman, and Riverton/Spaulding will continue to be suspended for the Fall schedule. We are completely redesigning the UA routes to better serve their respective communities. You’ll be hearing more about these routes soon.

Route 15 - UIS / Prairie Crossing

The construction of an overpass at Iron Bridge Road and Woodside Road is slated to begin later this year and is expected to last at least 3 years. While this will be fantastic for the Interurban Trail and those travelling between Chatham and Springfield, the construction unfortunately makes the current inbound path of our Route 15 impossible.

Inbound segment of Route 15 (Meijer to UIS) with future overpass construction highlighted in red.

Unlike overpass construction in denser areas, we cannot detour around the affected intersection by simply changing a few blocks of the route. The outbound trip runs about 40 minutes, so turning around at Meijer and coming back the way we came would obviously take longer than 60 minutes.

Thanks to our automatic passenger counters we’re able to see how many passengers board or deboard at a given stop. For our analysis of Route 15 we grouped the stops into 10 distinct segments in order to determine which parts of the route were most useful to passengers.

Route 15 Segment Usage

From this data we were able to determine that the majority of passengers utilized Route 15 to get either to or from UIS, Junction Circle, and Chatham Hills. Given this information and the geometry left to us by the construction on Woodside Road, we have decided that the best course of action is to continue to service the majority of passengers as best we can. Route 15 will no longer service the Westchester, Prairie Crossing, Woodside, and Toronto Road segments of the route and will instead double back along the same path it takes from UIS to Chatham Hills. This will be inconvenient for some in the areas the route no longer services, but this will preserve service for most passengers who use Route 15 while making the route bi-directional and more useful overall.

Because this new pattern is so similar to what the 114 UIS Express bus would be doing in the evening, we are cancelling the 114 and adding Route 15 to Night Service. The last Route 15 trip will leave UIS at 9:55 PM and end at Chatham Hills at 10:22 PM.

Route 1 - North 5th / Sand Hill

The inbound time check at N. Grand & 5th has been moved back 5 minutes to make it easier for the bus to get back downtown on time. Instead of :19 and :49 of the hour, Route 1 buses will leave the N. Grand & 5th Street at :14 and :44 of the hour.

Route 10 - South 11th / Stevenson

The time check at the Secretary of State office has been moved back 2 minutes to help the bus get to Big Lots earlier. Instead of :23 and :53 of the hour, Route 10 buses will leave the Secretary of State stop at :21 and :51 of the hour.



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AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 15, Route 10, Route 1

Fall 2019 Schedule Changes

On June 3rd of 2019 we published a new schedule that made adjustments to the timetables of several routes in response to data collected from our new intelligent transportation systems. Using new GPS data, we identified several locations where specific routes were consistently running early or late and made tweaks to those schedules to more accurately reflect the actual times of buses on those routes, which in turn makes our schedules more reliable and decreases perceived wait time. The system’s on-time performance has increased significantly as a result.

SMTD buses are also now outfitted with automated passenger counters that - when combined with GPS - can help us determine exactly when and where passengers are getting on or off the bus. This data informs decisions like where to put shelters (you need them when you’re waiting for the bus, not when you get off the bus) and where to increase or cut service. Several changes going live in the Fall 2019 schedule (going into effect on August 19th), are based on this information.

Route 1 - North 5th

After finding enough extra time in the route we opted to add a segment to Route 1 that travels to Walmart on North Dirksen. This is by far the most utilized bus stop in the entire SMTD system outside of those at the Transfer Center, and adding this segment to Route 1 has the following benefits:

  • Less wait time at other time checks along the route

  • Quick two-way travel from Walmart to the Sand Hill area and everything between

  • Spreads passenger load and thus increases on-time performance for other routes that utilize that stop (Routes 2 & 3)

The first two weekday trips on the June 2019 Route 1 schedule compared to those going into effect on August 19th, 2019.

Route 4 - W. Jefferson / W. Lawrence

A small segment was added to Route 4 outbound that detours from E. Cook onto 7th, looping back to E. Cook but stopping by SMTD’s home office along the way. Previously Route 11 was the only daytime route servicing this stop - and only inbound - but this new segment provides direct travel from the Transfer Center to SMTD’s offices.

The new Route 4 pattern starting on August 19th, 2019.

Route 5 - N. Grand / Medical

Due to low ridership, travel to the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport was cut from Route 5. The time surplus from this cut will be used to add a segment to the inbound portion of Route 5 that goes from 11th to Carpenter, to MLK, to E. Cook, and then back to the Transfer Center.

The new Route 5 pattern starting on August 19th, 2019.

Route 8 - South Grand / MacArthur

Further timetable adjustments were made to Route 8 to correct errors in the June 2019 schedule. Additionally, modifications to destination signs will make it easier for those in the Scarritt/Pasfield/Allen loop to determine whether the next bus is headed inbound (“to Transfer Center”) or outbound (“to North Street”).

The first two weekday trips on the June 2019 Route 8 schedule compared to those going into effect on August 19th, 2019.

Route 903 - West Side Night Service

To avoid trains on the 3rd Street rail, Route 903 will no longer take 2nd Street to Washington inbound. Instead, buses will take 2nd Street to Capitol to 4th Street and then to Washington.

Route 903 will begin using the path in red beginning August 19th, 2019 instead of taking 2nd Street directly to Washington. By utilizing the underpass on Capitol, buses can consistently avoid trains on the 3rd Street rail.

All Night Service Routes

All night service buses will start 15 minutes later to facilitate better interaction with the day service routes. The first trips out of the Transfer Center will leave at 6:00 PM while the last will depart at 10:00 PM.

Moving Forward Together

We understand that even minor changes to the system can have huge effects on the lives of our passengers and that a system in constant flux is not a bus system you can rely on. The adjustments made in June and those going into effect in August were designed with this in mind, optimizing the current system so that buses arrive when expected and get you to your destination as quickly and as safely as possible.

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 4, Route 1, Route 5, Route 8, Route 903
Tagsdata, changes, schedules

Construction at Bus Stop F

Due to construction on 5th Street only one bus will be able to park at Stop F at the downtown transfer center starting on Thursday, December 21st. Other routes that normally stop at F will be moved to other transfer stops.

The construction is expected to conclude within a few days.

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 1, Route 3, Route 4, Route 8, Transfer Center

Detours for 2017 Route 66 Mother Road Festival

Several streets downtown will be closed for the Route 66 Mother Road Festival being held this weekend so we will be relocating both the day and night transfer centers to 5th & Jackson. Here's a listing of the detour maps for each route:

Several routes will also have to make slightly different detours on Friday, September 22nd due to the parade, starting at 5:45 pm and lasting until the parade concludes. These can be seen on this map.

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 1, Route 10, Route 11, Route 13, Route 14, Route 15, Route 16, Route 19, Route 18, Route 2, Route 3, Route 4, Route 5, Route 6, Route 7, Route 8, Route 9, Route 901, Route 902, Route 903, Route 905, Transfer Center

Temporary Transfer Center for 5K on Saturday Morning

On Saturday, May13, 2017 at 6:00am, due to the 5K event downtown,
the transfer center will be located on the south side of Monroe (State Capitol side) between
2nd & College, returning to the regular transfer center at 5th & Capitol at 11:45am. Routes will
stage as follows:

  • Between College and Spring on Monroe:
    • 1 N. 5th
    • 2 N. 9th
    • 3 Grandview
    • 4 W. Jefferson
    • 5 N. Walnut
    • 7 W. Washington
    • 13 MacArthur/Westchester
    • 16 Bergen Park/Sand Hill
    • 18 Lawrence/Knox Knolls
  • Between Spring and 2nd Streets on Monroe:
    • 6 E. Cook
    • 8 1st/Highland
    • 9 M.L. King
    • 10 Southern View/Laketown
    • 11 UIS
    • 14 Wabash/Prairie Crossing
    • 15 So. 11th/UIS/LLC
Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesTransfer Center, Route 1, Route 10, Route 11, Route 13, Route 14, Route 15, Route 16, Route 18, Route 19, Route 2, Route 3, Route 4, Route 5, Route 6, Route 7, Route 8, Route 9

Reminder: Saturday Schedule on Veterans Day

As usual, buses will be in service on Veterans Day (Friday, November 9th) but will be running Saturday schedules which means some routes will run every hour instead of every half-hour. We have included this holiday service in our GTFS data so that supported navigation apps will be able to give you the correct information.

Additionally, the daytime transfer center will be moved one block south to 5th & Jackson during the Veterans Day parade, from approximately 8:15 AM to 11:45 AM. After the parade concludes the transfer center will be moved back to its normal location at 5th & Capitol. 

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 1, Route 10, Route 11, Route 13, Route 14, Route 15, Route 16, Route 18, Route 19, Route 2, Route 3, Route 4, Route 5, Route 6, Route 7, Route 8, Route 9, Route 901, Route 902, Route 903, Route 904, Route 905, Transfer Center

Public Comment Meeting on August 5th RE: Bus Stop Consolidation on Routes 1 & 2

The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) Board of Trustees approved a plan July 27th to study bus stops on routes throughout the SMTD system, make proposals for consolidating bus stops, take public comment and implement changes over the next eighteen months.  On August 5th at 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Carnegie Room South at Lincoln Library (southwest corner of the 1st floor), the first public comment meeting will be held regarding proposed bus stop consolidation on the North 5th Route 1 and North 9th Route 2.

“Over the years, SMTD has continued to add bus stops throughout the city for various purposes, and we have now reached the point that we have considerable overlap of the areas meant to be covered by a bus stop,” said Steve Schoeffel, SMTD’s Service Planning and Marketing Specialist.  “We are looking to methodically study and update our system’s bus stops to move us closer to widely-accepted industry standards.”  

SMTD believes the changes will still serve the public well with plenty of bus stops while allowing buses to cover routes faster with fewer stops made so close together – sometimes fewer than two hundred feet apart.

“Mass transit systems have to balance how quickly we can move people to their destinations with how far they must walk to reach their nearest bus stop,” Schoeffel continued.  “A bus stop on every corner sounds great until you’re riding the bus and trying to make your transfer downtown in a bus that stops almost every block.”

This public comment part of the overall plan, while not legally required, is intended to give the public the opportunity to bring any specific concerns they might have to SMTD before bus stops are changed.

“We are not randomly removing every other bus stop, or anything close to that,” Schoeffel added.  “We believe we can study our current stops, make some changes with the public’s input, and improve the system for our passengers and for traffic in general.  Our goal would be to upgrade the actual bus stop signs once we have completed the optimization process across the entire system.”

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 1, Route 2

July 1st Route Changes

Several route changes are going into effect on July 1st, 2015. 

Eliminated Routes

  • Night Service 11:45 PM (Last) Trip - 10:45 PM will be the last trip on all Night Service routes. Buses will return to the Transfer Center at 11:45 PM, but will take passengers no further.
  • Historic Sites - Passengers can ride Route 1 (North 5th) and Route 5 (North Walnut).
  • Route 19 - Will be replaced with a morning supplemental route that departs the downtown Transfer Center at 7:20 AM and an afternoon supplemental that departs the Sangamon County Regional Office of Education (SCROE) at 4:30 PM. The schedules are as follows: 
Transfer Center A SCROE SoS IDOT
7:20 AM 7:35 AM 7:40 AM 7:50 AM

SCROE SoS IDOT Transfer Center A
4:30 PM 4:35 PM 4:45 PM 5:00 PM

Other passengers can ride the Route 6 (East Cook), Route 9 (MLK), Route 11 (UIS), or Route 15 (S. 11th / UIS / LLCC) buses either on or within two to four blocks of the current Route 19.

Combined School Supplemental Trippers

  • Add SHS (East Cook) Tripper to SHS (MLK / South 15th)
  • Add Laketown (SEHS) Tripper to Southern View (SEHS)
  • Add SEHS (Laketown) Tripper to (SEHS) Southern View

State Holiday Hours

Buses will run in Saturday Service format on the following holidays:

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 18th)
  • Lincoln's Birthday (February 12)
  • Washington's Birthday / Presidents Day (3rd Monday of February)
  • Veterans Day (November 11)

These and other planned service changes can be found on our Service Calendar.

The changes were the first recommendations of what SMTD staff plans to make an annual occurrence, utilizing analyses of passenger counts on each route and implementation of performance standards to produce the most efficient service possible for Springfield. That is not to say that routes will be eliminated every year. 

"No one enjoys eliminating routes," said Managing Director Frank Squires, "but the reality is that, by reducing these clear inefficiencies, we are now in a much better position to provide better service and passenger amenities moving forward. By constantly evaluating our service, we can make any necessary annual adjustments to keep us providing the best service possible with the resources available to us without too often inconveniencing our passengers, and we can more easily add service in the future if we’re operating at maximum efficiency." 

Other changes made by SMTD will be publicized at dates closer to when they will affect passengers, such as State Fair service closer to the opening of the Illinois State Fair, school supplemental route changes closer to the first day of school later this summer and reduced service hours on certain state holidays. 

Posted
AuthorSMTD
CategoriesRoute 1, Route 10, Route 11, Route 14, Route 15, Route 18, Route 13, Route 2, Route 4, Route 5, Route 6, Route 9, Route 901, Route 902, Route 903, Route 904, Route 905, Southwind Park, State Fair, Historic Sites, Route 19