By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit October report, much more is available in the packet: Deficit: $1,189,796 Fixed Route Ridership was down 3.23% over September Mobility Ridership was up 2.88% over September PDF page 32-33 PDF page 36-37 PDF page 45:
By: Diane Benjamin Guess what this is: That is a picture from a new ELECTRIC Connect Transit bus. It holds 5 gallons, enough for 1 day. When the batteries can’t supply enough heat the buses will be keeping passengers warm with fossil fuels! Now see this story, h/t a reader: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/how-temperature-affects-electric-vehicle-range-a4873569949/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_FB How Temperature Affects Electric […]
By: Diane Benjamin See what CT spent on solar panels in June: $654,088.77 Year end numbers for 6/30/2022: Look at the amount of local dollars you are forced to pay for the privilege of having empty buses wreck the roads. $760,000 + $423,333 = $1,183,333. All of those other numbers are taxes too. Those numbers […]
By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit Board meeting yesterday: https://www.connect-transit.com/file/556/03%2022%202022_Board%20of%20Trustees%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Payment: $2,490,777 Add that to the $1,589,156 from this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/02/21/connect-transit-pays-proterra-for-electric-buses/ The total cost of 4 buses is $4,390,913. They still have $310,980 to go (unless that was sent as a deposit and I missed it) Next add $1,715,000 for solar panels. https://blnnews.com/2021/03/04/pulling-the-plug-on-electric-buses/ All this so […]
By: Diane Benjamin Don’t forget – there is no penalty for stupid government! Participants just move on to being stupid elsewhere 2019 Story: https://blnnews.com/2019/11/16/connect-transit-empty-buses-and-brains/ BEB is Battery Electric Buses March 4, 2021 story: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/04/pulling-the-plug-on-electric-buses/ Minneapolis abandoned electric buses for biodiesel Today: https://www.westernjournal.com/california-city-bought-electric-bus-company-promoted-white-house-now-considering-scrapping-expensive-fleet-nonstop-disasters/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=conservativetribune&utm_content=2021-07-23&utm_campaign=manualpost&fbclid=IwAR2w9iJr0t2OuY09oA-K4uRCSbifA1V7dKuZ2gLx4Y2JMY0kg8IsypGYh_A Another story from today: https://djhjmedia.com/steven/california-agency-looking-to-scrap-electric-buses-because-they-melt-catch-on-fire-and-costs-a-fortune-to-repair/ Quote: One Southern California city’s test run of […]
Earmarks are back! Earmarks are out of control spending for petty projects locals should pay for themselves instead of asking the feds to print money for them. Democrats resurrected them when they took control of the House. https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/tom-kacich-congress-brings-back-earmarks-one-illinois-rep-isnt-on-board/article_449a248d-57e6-5943-9d76-1cea915585df.html A Champaign columnist printed the facts. Excerpts: Among those representing central Illinois, Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, has […]
By: Diane Benjamin Every dollar Connect Transit spends is grant money. Where does that GRANT money come form? Tax dollars – YOU. They spent $1,715,000 on solar panels and charging infrastructure in preparation for electric buses. https://blnnews.com/2020/12/01/more-connect-transit/ Last month Connect ordered their first 4 electric buses: PDF page 26 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yp2A-6qp7zjhmjc2XVjk9RPUrY9-yDxx/view That brings the total that […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-SgGF0uzhIlXeWqdYlJ0blXEhDPLrrfh/view PDF page 49: Mark Peterson recommended keeping Executive Session Minutes a secret. The law requires a review twice a year. Bloomington is still hiding them from decades ago. See PDF pages 53 and 54: Connect is participating again this year with Stuff-The-Bus in support of Children’s Home and Aid. See the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The CT Board held a meeting on 7/28/2020. No financial information was included in the packet because June was the end of their fiscal year. That doesn’t mean other information wasn’t included in the packet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13_-iBZ8DuPQ_3Or2S90fgHrWo9JhJ1Wf/view PDF page 3 shows customers were down 13.6% for the year July 1, 2019 – June […]
By: Diane Benjamin After NOT posting the Agenda for today’s meeting 48 hours in advance as required by the Open Meetings Act (LAW!), yesterday Connect moved the meeting and thought people would magically know: https://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/cttf_working_group/agendas.asp No surprise, they didn’t have enough people for a quorum, some members of the public went to the wrong […]
By: Diane Benjamin In Indianapolis their electric buses started losing the charge when the temperature got below 50 degrees! See this story: https://www.theindychannel.com//indygo-electric-buses-having-battery-problems-cant-handle-the-cold Excerpts from TODAY’s story: INDIANAPOLIS — The IndyGo electric buses are already showing signs of trouble as the temperatures plunge. It’s a problem Call 6 Investigates first exposed in March, and now it’s happening. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This will be the final story documenting the Normal council meeting held on 10/7/2019 See the other parts here – they all tie together: https://blnnews.com/2019/10/08/the-normal-circus-last-night-part-1/ https://blnnews.com/2019/10/08/the-normal-circus-last-night-part-2/ https://blnnews.com/2019/10/08/the-normal-circus-last-night-part-3/ The Connect Transit problem is now clear. The Board, appointed by both mayors, has a mission that doesn’t align with what taxpayers expect a transit […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos’ bike shop sells electric bikes. https://www.vitessecycle.com/product-list/bikes-1000/ebikes-electric-bikes-1038/ These bikes can reach speeds of 30 MPH, but they are not banned on Constitution Trail. Signs on the trail say “No Motorized Vehicles”, so why are electric allowed? Safety doesn’t matter? Aren’t some bikers on the trail already a hazard? How is “electric” […]
Connect Transit is the best example of a government agency throwing away tax dollars. In the near future they will want more of your money to throw away. Marc Tiritilli posted the below to Facebook. Keep in mind he requested an appointment to the Connect Transit Board to fill the year long empty seat representing […]
By: Diane Benjamin News Flash: The working group is a joke. Connect Transit has no intention of serving the people who MUST ride the bus because the board is appointed by 2 mayors who think Bloomington-Normal is Chicago. Don’t forget Connect hired a firm for more than $50,000 to facilitate – they expect you to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below are screen shots from Connect Transit reports for what they paid Corn Belt for electricity. https://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/packet.asp Note: Connect Transit does not posts report as “searchable”. If the Illinois Policy Institute was still giving transparency grades, they would flunk. Obviously they are paying between $3,900 and $4,300 a month. At $4,300 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though many of the Council people questioned Isaac Thorne of Connect Transit about the empty buses, he continued to claim at times they have 60+ boardings per hour on many routes. Below is when Mboka asked about it – just hit play. Thorne’s presentation and discussion starts at 11:15 if you […]
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