By: Diane Benjamin
Connect Transit ended their Fiscal Year 6/30/2017 with ridership below last year and well short of their goal:
Connect Transit competes with Uber and taxi service. Your government is assaulting the private sector by redistributing your money to their preferred transportation provider. I wonder who Connect Transit employees voted for?
See page PDF 31 for a report on Connect Mobility. The page claims the Americans with Disabilities Act requires them to lose money on this service. Actually, it says they have to provide service, Connect decided to lose money doing it.
In total, Connect Transit redistributed $10,318,525 by losing that much for the year – a couple bucks short of $890,000 just for June. See PDF page 8 HERE
The City of Bloomington covered almost $700,000, the Town of Normal $390,000.
But that’s not all the money BloNo redistributed:
Bloomington must be out of money since they failed to pay as promised by 6/30/2017.
Almost $3 million in the Capital account has been borrowed for operating funds. Capital funds are meant to be used for purchasing new buses or possibly other large items. Instead they are in a hole because they ran out of other people’s money and the other people aren’t paying as promised (Bloomington + State of Illinois)
A new union contract with workers is also on the agenda for approval. If you’ve wondered how much drivers get paid – see PDF page 46. Yes, they are allowed to accumulate sick days and get paid for them at retirement. Luckily it’s only 45 days.
The last page of the contract shows Mike McCurdy (WGLT Program Director) is now the President of the Board. I wonder if WGLT ever does news stories on the massive loses at Connect Transit. If they do, I’m betting many sob stories from people who couldn’t survive without this redistribution of wealth are included.
If I remember correctly, Bloomington’s current FY2018 budget now provides $1M to Connect Transit. Federal funds like TIGER grants for infrastructure have been discontinued. The Board and Management of CT has driven it into the ground..pun intended. Maybe the award should be returned. Taking money from Capital accounts to pay for operational expenses is the best way to produce a structural deficit–thinking of Madigan…Renner/Hales.
It is my understanding that the CT Board is appointed by the mayors. Is the Chairman appointed to the position or elected by the Board? Either way, what qualifications does McCurdy have other than personal connections?
Look at the Board. What expertise do any of them have?
Only expert brown nosers need apply.
Ur mean. I need this service. I can’t afford to pay Uber to put me cross town for 20 dollar. mcurdy have more know how than you? Yall think you know evrything.
They made you a slave by making you believe you have to be subsidized. Or, your comment is fake and it’s a bad attempt at trying to be something you aren’t.
Yep – fake comment. Should I tell everybody how I know or will you?
The CT Board is responsible for managing a multimillion dollar enterprise. Losing $10M of taxpayer money annually does not indicate an aptitude for business. McCurdy’s only qualification is his experience at WGLT spending government money.
Of course ridership is down. They keep cutting routes so fewer people ride! If Disconnect Transit cuts anymore routes there wont be ANYONE riding the bus!
Does Connect Transit provide transportation to grocery stores? I ask because about 10:30 today, I followed a Connect Transit driver around in the Kroger on College for almost 30 minutes, then watched him sitting in his empty bus in the parking lot for the same length of time.
The only parking lot that is on a CT route is Target’s. Supposedly the buses are too big to turn into a parking lot. Many bus stops are on the opposite side of the street so the riders have to cross the street and walk through the parking lot.