Champaign-Urbana MTD announces new changes as 2024-25 service year begins

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District has started a new year of service, and with that new year comes several changes.

Northeast Urbana

One of the primary changes in MTD service for northeast Urbana is a new on-demand van service called Northeast Connect. Officials said it allows for flexible travel within a defined service boundary and to/from the Lincoln Square transfer point in downtown Urbana. This service will be available between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and will complement or replace existing service.

With Northeast Connect now in service, the current 10 Gold morning and afternoon routing (between 10:32 a.m. and 2:32 p.m.) will no longer operate — this leaves Kerr Avenue between Cunningham and Broadway without service. People who use the 10 Gold should instead use Northeast Connect to transfer to fixed-route buses at Lincoln Square.

This modification, officials said, makes the 10 Gold Route more efficient and improves schedule adherence. In addition to this enhancement, Northeast Connect is meant to compliment the 110 Ruby, which runs on weeknights and weekends. The 11 Ruby, which formerly ran during peak morning and afternoon times, has been eliminated.

Southwest Champaign

In addition to establishing a new on-demand van service, the MTD is improving its existing West Connect van service in southwest Champaign. The service’s boundaries have been expanded to include Carle at the Fields, and it also includes the ability to travel between the boundary and a transfer point for fixed route service.

New Saturday Service to Apollo Drive

After reviewing customer feedback, MTD officials said they’ve seen an increase in requests for service to Apollo Drive on Saturdays. There are two routes that currently serve this area: the 2 Red during weekday daytime service and the 100 Yellow during weekday evening service. Starting Aug. 17, the MTD has added Apollo Drive to the 100 Yellow Saturday route.

To accommodate the change in the route, officials said the 100 Yellow will leave Champaign’s Walmart two minutes earlier on Saturdays and will also arrive at and leave from Market Place Mall two minutes earlier, with the layover at the mall eliminated.

Early Morning Layover at Illini Union for 5W Green

10 years after a change in service near the Illini Union, a remnant of that change is finally being removed.

When the Green & Wright Universal Transfer was eliminated in 2014, the 5W Green began stopping there for a five-minute layover between 6:40 and 6:45 a.m. Now, the layover has been eliminated, as it has been for all other routes that stop near the Illini Union.

Officials said this will help this specific 5W Green trip stay on time throughout the rest of the westbound trip and during the return eastbound trip. Currently, this bus rends to run late when arriving at Illinois Terminal for the 7:40 a.m. Universal Transfer.

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