By: Diane Benjamin
One bit of new information: Connect Transit does track transfers even though they aren’t reported anywhere. Mike McCurdy stated transfers aren’t up when he appeared at a Normal Town Council meeting, so I FOIA’d that info per month. I got this:
This is one step closer to finding out exactly how many people ride a month – subtract the above from what Connect Transit reports since each transfer counts as two rides on their reports.
The average Connect Transit rider is charged $1 a ride. Connect proposed raising that amount which caused fury for those who are transit dependent.
How much are Heartland and ISU paying to Connect Transit?
ISU pays a flat amount every month – this bill was received by FOIA:
Connect Transit sends ISU a monthly report on the number of users. The number varies from month to month. I referenced these reports previously: https://blnnews.com/2019/04/25/connect-transit-and-isu-facts/
I picked February at random, ISU only paid .57 per ride. During the summer the cost went to $4.99 a ride – the average for the 9 months listed was .80 a ride.
Heartland has a different deal. They pay a flat amount each month and then are billed quarterly for overages.
Last year Heartland was paying .70 for each overage:
This year Heartland is paying .75.
Without more FOIA requests I don’t know the rate of the flat amount they pay. I think it is likely the same as the overage rate – .75.
Monthly Heartland pays:
At .75 each, this amounts to 9,583 rides a month. Since the overages are billed quarterly, determining the exact number of riders per month still isn’t possible.
Why do the colleges get a discount?
Since students are a large part of total ridership, why aren’t they paying their fair share?
The Transit Dependent have to subsidize students? Isn’t it bad enough the rest of us subsidize them too?
These students are millennials and they ARE riding their bicycles and walking. They’re young and vibrant. This is what we’ve been preaching so therefore it is true. Understand? Our quality of life plan IS working. You just don’t see it because you don’t want to as per what we learned at the mayors conference. You’ve got to spend money to make money, basic economics.
So, the snowflakes need a bus to get around campus and then a workout facility because they need exercise.
Oh please oh wise one… why is this happening then? The 20 cities in the Midwest that Americans are escaping in droves https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-in-the-midwest-americans-are-fleeing?fbclid=IwAR0wqO42h6yt-_cMady-S9sZypgVnHwo2dsTppYTb9l6xf_iP-fHl4D1iO0
The Bloomington Metro area is #13 in the nation for population loss…. So please explain how your socialist (cart-before-the-horse) wrong think is working? If you have been on this site at all you will know that I and many other say it opportunities and money that attracts workers and companies. And unless you have been under a rock… there are few (if any) opportunities outside the major employers here. We are waiting for your explanation of why people are leaving and new people are not coming in? Are not enough bike paths – art galleries – places to eat – beer halls yet?
According to the flawed logic of our dear leaders, if we built a subway system, Bloomington-Normal would become New York.
ISU and Heartland cut big guaranteed checks to CT. I’d imagine if there were no deals in place and students had to pay out of pocket, ridership from this cohort would plummet. I’ve heard from students that they ride the bus only if it happens to time with a trip/errand they are looking to do at a given time and there’s no friend with a car available. So, from the perspective of the trough feeders at CT, why wouldn’t they want a guaranteed kiss in the mail. Mike can play around with the numbers and paint a rosy picture that Koos and his disciples will applaud. If they have to actually earn the business of their riders, they will lose.
The Town of Normal also has a similar contract with CT for its employees.
They actually pay $1 per ride. I looks like one employee takes advantage of it.
ISU pays? No, ISU doesnt pay anything. The TAXPAYERS pay. So taxpayers fund ISU. Taxpayers fund BLONO. Taxpayers pay state taxes,which fund DISCONNECT. Taxpayers get charged to ride bus. The final answer to this equation: the taxpayers get screwed!