The Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD) is a regional mass transit district that mostly serves Springfield, Illinois along with a few neighboring communities. It is governed by a seven-member board of trustees, who are all appointed by the Sangamon County Board of Supervisors.[3] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,406,900, or about 5,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Routes
Low Floor Gillig 2011 series. 35 ft. On former Route 1 N. Fifth before turning into former Route 18 Lawrence/Knox Knolls
The Sangamon Mass Transit District operates 18 regular routes during the day, 9 routes at night, and 9 supplemental routes which serve schools.[4][5][6] On weekdays between 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., most routes run every half-hour. Eleven of the day routes begin at the downtown transfer center, at 11th and Washington Streets, with buses leaving downtown at the top and bottom of the hour. Five routes begin at a secondary transfer center on Junction Circle, on the southwest side, where most of the area's growth and new development has taken place in recent decades. These routes leave Junction Circle at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. One special route carries passengers between both locations, and one special route serves the colleges and nearby areas. On weeknights between 6 and 10 p.m., seven routes leave downtown once an hour, at the top of the hour,[7] and two others begin and end at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The last buses of the night return to downtown at 11 p.m. Supplemental routes run only once per day. No service is offered on Sundays, nor on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.[8]
Daytime routes
Route 0 Transfer Center Express – Downtown to Junction Circle
Route 210 Lewis and Adams to Amos / Golf / Brentwood
Route 212 Ash and Greentree to downtown
Route 214 11th and North Grand to Bruns Lane
Route 215 Laketown/Southern View to Ash and Greentree
Route 217 Clearlake to 11th and North Grand
Route 220 Lewis and Adams to East Cook / Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Cash fare, transfers and passes
Regular bus fare is $1.25 for anyone age five or over. Up to two children under the age of four are permitted on the buses free of charge with an adult. More than two children under this age will cost an additional 60 cents. For senior citizens, disabled persons, or Medicare card holders, fare is 60 cents with proof of such status. Senior citizens and disabled persons enrolled in the Benefit Access program can procure a photo ID that enables them to ride without paying a fare.[9][10] Transfers between connecting buses are free and available upon request of the driver when fare is initially paid.[11]
Discount bus passes for students, senior citizens, and disabled people are available at public, private, and parochial schools, Lincoln Library, the local Hy-Vee, and the SMTD home office at 928 S. 9th Street. Reloadable fare cards are available at the main office.
Buses
2017 Diesel New Flyer
The routes are covered with 53 buses (15 fueled with Compressed natural gas, 34 fueled with diesel) and 22 paratransit vans. All buses are equipped with bike racks.
As of July 1, 2018, the buses are
The SMTD operates a paratransit service named Access Sangamon for disabled people who are unable to use the regular buses. Service is available at the same times that the regular buses are operating.[12]
Funding and employees
In 2017, the employee headcount was 143, of whom 116 were members of labor unions and 27 were administrative personnel. The annual budget was $7.2 million.
In the SMTD's 2017 operating budget, 9% was met through fares paid by riders. An additional 1% was earned through other private-sector-style income streams, such as income from placards and billboards on the buses, and the remaining 90% consisted of federal, state, and local public-sector funding.[13]
Recent developments
On January 1, 2017, SMTD changed its operating name from Springfield Mass Transit District to Sangamon Mass Transit District.[14] Limited-service suburban routes ran from 2018 to 2022.
In 2019, the city opened a new transfer center on the east edge of downtown, and at the same time, completely overhauled its routes.[15] The redesigned routes cover a larger geographical area than before, bringing service with reach of up to 10,000 additional area residents.[16] Construction of the Springfield-Sangamon Transportation Center at the downtown transfer center began in 2021,[17] and improvements are under construction to an adjacent railroad. When complete, the new facility is expected to become part of the Chicago Hub Network, Illinois' new high-speed rail system,[18] with stops by trains and intercity buses.[19]Greyhound buses began using the new transfer point in November 2022.[20] Presently, Amtrak trains run on another railroad about half a mile west of the new transfer center.
In 2022, the SMTD board approved a Zero Emissions Transition Plan, which would see the removal of all diesel buses by 2035 in favor of a combination of hybrid and zero-emission buses, with all buses being zero-emission by 2048. As of 2022, 60% of buses in the fleet were diesel powered, with the remainder being powered by compressed natural gas.[21]
Fixed Route Ridership
The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [22]
^"Board of Trustees". Sangamon Mass Transit District. Retrieved 2020-01-29. A seven member Board of Trustees is appointed by the Sangamon County Board of Supervisors to oversee the policies and operations of the District.
