By: Diane Benjamin
See the agenda, financial information is crossed off for both June and July because of year end: https://connect-transit.com/file/3810/2025%2008%2026_Meeting%20Packet.pdf
Every other year this data has only been delayed 1 month. The Managing Director, David Braun, claimed they are still collecting June bills.
When Flex replaces vehicles, the new ones will be electric! Meanwhile most (if not all) the electric buses don’t run.
The State has had $3 million in the budget for the downtown Bloomington transfer station since 2018, Connect is still trying to get their hands on it.
Connect is worried about Federal Funding getting cut off because of Illinois’ sanctuary state policies. If that happens they have sufficient savings for at least a while. See 42:45
The cost of the downtown transfer station is way higher than expected (inflation), so Connect is applying for more grants – both federal and state. See 48:00
If you still don’t understand “shell bills” in Illinois, see 4:00. David Braun explains how they are trying to get funding slipped into one.
This graph of ridership is from the video:
The system largely exists for ISU students. Connect is trying to educate students on where they can ride since it’s free with tuition. Since ISU revenue is fixed, that increases losses. Since riders most likely ride two ways, the actual ridership is half what is listed. Switching buses is also counted as another rides, so that is two more.
They’d be better off subsidizing a revamped local cab company rather than this waste. The uber and lyft companies put the cab companies out of business of which now the reality is that rates have dramatically increased and you cannot get a ride 24/7 like you could when we still had cabs. Transportaion in B-N is a bad joke. The roads are horrible and OMG the condition of Empire State west of Towanda? Can’t wait to see the effect of the snowplows on that still bumping mess. I hope that I am wrong but whoever approved that fix ought to be terminated immediately.y
State is fixing that. Probably years from now
Imagine calling the previous owners of Red Top, Circle City, and that third cab company. Invite them back, telling uber and lyft to get lost, then giving the former cab companies $100K per month each company to subsidize them. Saving $700K per month over disConnect Transit and most likely providing better more comprehensive services.
But that would be an actual SOLUTION to a problem. They don’t want actual SOLUTIONS. If problems ever actually got solved, that would threaten the existence of the unelected Bureaucrats and their money pits for our tax dollars.