By: Diane Benjamin
Yesterday layoff notices were sent to employees of Connect Transit. Illinois law requires a 60 day notice be sent to the State and employees.
Connect Transit is asking people to contact their representatives. Your representatives need to hear both sides of the story. Yes, people will suffer if the buses shut down. Yes, taxpayers will suffer if they don’t.
There has to be a better way of providing transportation for less than a $12,000,000 budgeted loss. Last year it was $10,000,000. The also need to know how Connect spends the money, besides the huge empty buses: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/28/connect-transit-totals/
Regardless of which side you are on – the list below needs to hear from you:
Rep Dan Brady http://www.ilhousegop.org/contactbrady
Sen Bill Brady http://brady.senategop.org/Contact/Contact-Form
Sen Jason Barickman http://senatorbarickman.com/Contact/Contact-Form
Rep Keith Sommer [email protected]
Size the buses for the route. Use connect mobility buses for low ridership runs. Needs 55% fair box recovery ratio. Ir create a dial a ride service as used in niles, il. They got ride of flags stops, then radically changed the route in all of the system. Everything they have done to reduced ridership any annoy the existing riders. They took away heated places like Walmart, osf, osf on college and fort Jessie.the route map does not have the times for switching buses at thr same time point and then restructured the routes in the system at the same time. Can’t try out you mistake or successes first ?. With as hard a time it to park at corporate south, you would think the bus would better support this company. In Dallas, you take the yellow streetcar line straight to Richardson the new sf hub. Bill, Dan , Jason and Keith, read blnnews.com and ask do we need reforms first before more aid? The board ignores the citizens. Jason and Darin’ office is at the ne corner ge and airport and no longer has bus service. Champaign and DeKalb’s bus service are awesome. Instead we get awards that change nothing.