June 2024 Schedule Updates

Here are all the changes going into effect on Monday, June 3rd.

West Side Night Service

SMTD night service routes typically perform large, 60-minute loops around a given area of the city. While these loops provide transportation to and from many areas, travel in one direction can be inconvenient in some cases. For some riders, travel in the opposite direction would be preferred but instead they must stay on the bus until the route circles back around to their destination.

Rather than adding another looping route to night service, the existing 903 - West Side Night Service route will be splitting into two new, bi-directional routes.

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The New 903 – West Side Night Service via W. Washington

Leaving the transfer center, the new 903 route will head west and take the same outbound path to White Oaks Mall as before. Afterwards, it will head north to return downtown along the same path but in the opposite direction. This enables bi-directional service to the Durkin Drive and West Washington areas.

Currently the route will use the same detours around the ongoing rail construction but will use the Jefferson and Madison underpasses once they are open to traffic.

The New 904 – West Side Night Service via MacArthur

This new route covers the areas previously serviced by Route 903’s inbound segment: South 2nd Street, MacArthur, Wabash, Parkway Pointe, and Westchester. Stop-level ridership data shows that few riders utilized the Route 903 stops on Laurel between MacArthur and 2nd Street, so these stops will be removed. Instead, the 904 will take South Grand from 2nd Street to MacArthur outbound, and from MacArthur to 2nd Street inbound, utilizing stops already serviced by the Route 8 – South Grand / MacArthur daytime route.

Connectivity

Transfers from 903 to 904 and vice versa can be made at stop 1344 on Wabash, south of the mall. This allows certain trips to be made without the need to ride a bus all the way to the downtown transfer center.

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For example, you could hop on the 904 outbound at the Town & Country Shopping Center, transfer to the 903 at the Wabash stop (1344) and take it inbound to one of the apartment complexes on Durkin Drive. The reverse is also possible.

Additional Service to Helping Hands

In addition to Route 6 – Clear Lake / Junction Circle, Route 9 – MLK / Cook will add service to the new Helping Hands location off of Shale Street immediately after the County Health stop. Some time checks along Route 9 have been adjusted to account for this stop being added.

Route 16 Time Check Changes

Time checks for the inbound portion of Route 16 – W. Wabash / Junction Circle have been adjusted to help the bus arrive at the Junction Circle transfer point on time more reliably.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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”).

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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.

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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.

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:

• Route 1 - North 5th
• Route 2 - North 9th
• Route 3 - Grandview
• Route 4 - West Jefferson
• Route 5 - North Walnut
• Route 6 - East Cook / Ash / White Oaks Mall
• Route 7 - West Washington
• Route 8 - 1st & Highland
• Route 9 - M. L. King
• Route 10 - Southern View / Laketown
• Route 11 - UIS
• Route 13 - MacArthur / Westchester / Jerome
• Route 14 - Wabash / Prairie Crossing / Gaines Mill
• Route 15 - South 11th / UIS / LLCC
• Route 16 - Bergen Park / Sand Hill
• Route 18 - Lawrence / Knox Knolls
• Route 901 - North Side Night Service
• Route 902 - Southeast Side Night Service
• Route 903 - West Side Night Service
• Route 905 - UIS / LLCC Night Service

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.

Night Service Changes Begin Monday, January 9th

In November, the Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) Board of Trustees, responding to delays in state payments and continued uncertainty in the state budget moving forward, approved reductions in night service hours proposed in the previous board meeting. Those changes will go into effect Monday, January 9th and include:

• Elimination of Saturday Night Service
• Elimination of Night Service Route 904
• Reduction of all Night Service Monday through Friday by one hour.

Night service after the change will consist of one-hour trips at 6:45, 7:45, 8:45 and 9:45 on the current routes 901, 902, 903 and 905. The nighttime UIS Express to the west side will continue to run Monday through Thursday at 7:15p, 8:15p, 9:15p and 10:15p. Passengers will still be picked up at the bus shelter at Farnham and Lindsay in front of Founders Hall Bookstore.

“Some perceived these cuts as SMTD reducing costs solely by reducing service,” said Steve Schoeffel, SMTD Service Planning & Marketing Specialist. “In fact, these service reductions are just one of several avenues we are exploring to reduce costs.”

Over $600,000 in savings from everything from administrative contracts for items such as office cleaning to millions in capital projects requiring hundreds of thousands in matching local funds being put on hold are being considered. The roughly $180,000 in cost savings from the night service reductions are less than one third of what is already being done while SMTD awaits delayed payments and a clearer budget picture from the state. In addition, technology improvements already approved have been scaled back to still allow for the project to move forward without risking loss of the federal grant funding already committed, but on a longer implementation schedule to allow SMTD more financial flexibility.

“All of these measures add up to a significant amount, and, hopefully, this will get us through for a while without further, more substantial cuts,” Schoeffel added. “We believe this is the least-painful way we can reduce costs and still maintain core services moving forward.”

Should the district’s funding stabilize in the next few months, SMTD plans to re-evaluate these reductions and would consider re-starting services where appropriate.

New Year's Eve Holiday Hours

The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) announced today details for upcoming holiday hours.
SMTD will have regular night service on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31st, with the last buses leaving the night transfer center north of the Old State Capitol for their final trip at 10:45pm.

SMTD does not provide service on Sundays, and there will be no service on Monday, January 2nd for the New Year Holiday. We wish our employees and customers a safe and Happy New Year, and we look forward to 2017!

SMTD to Reduce Night Service

The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) Board of Trustees, responding to delays in state payments and continued uncertainty in the state budget moving forward, approved reductions in night service hours proposed in the previous board meeting, with one exception. Weeknight Night Service will be reduced by only one hour rather than two hours, as was previously proposed.

• Elimination of Saturday Night Service - Saturday Night Service is a new service which began just two months ago. While passengers who have begun to use the service will be inconvenienced, this service requires extra maintenance, dispatch and paratransit staff in addition to the operators required on the routes.
• Elimination of Night Service Route 904 - Night Service Route 904 runs opposite the 903 along the same route on the west side. Route 904 passengers may be inconvenienced, but route 903 ensures night service will remain in one direction along that route. The change will reduce overall night service by 20% while still leaving passengers another option.
• Reduction of all Night Service Monday through Friday by one hour - The elimination of the last current trip of weeknight service reduces all aspects of SMTD operational costs by one hour five days a week. Similar to Saturday service, this service requires extra maintenance, dispatch and paratransit staff in addition to the operators required to run the route. Night service after the change would consist of one-hour trips at 6:45, 7:45, 8:45 and 9:45 on the current routes 901, 902, 903 and 905.

“Dozens of passengers commented either at one of our three meetings or online, and, as is always the case, those comments were presented to the board for their review and consideration,” said Steve Schoeffel, SMTD’s Service Planning & Marketing Specialist. “While no one wants service reductions, the vast majority of public comment dealt with hardships that would be caused by the 40% reduction in weeknight service hours.”

He added SMTD is taking other steps to reduce cost outside of service reductions.

“Some perceive these cuts as SMTD reducing costs solely by reducing service,” continued Schoeffel. “In fact, these service reductions are just one of several avenues we are exploring to reduce costs.”

Over $600,000 in savings from everything from administrative contracts for items such as office cleaning to millions in capital projects requiring hundreds of thousands in matching local funds being put on hold are being considered. The roughly $180,000 in cost savings from the night service reductions are less than one third of what is already being done while SMTD awaits delayed payments and a clearer budget picture from the state. In addition, technology improvements already approved have been scaled back to still allow for the project to move forward without risking loss of the federal grant funding already committed, but on a longer implementation schedule to allow SMTD more financial flexibility.

“All of these measures add up to a significant amount, and, hopefully, this will get us through for a while without further, more substantial cuts,” Schoeffel added. “We believe this is the least-painful way we can reduce costs and still maintain core services moving forward.”

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.