By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit employees, who are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union, have been working without a contract since June 30. Public comment at the Connect Transit Board meeting featured the union’s president and financial secretary/treasurer. Union members also attended respectfully and held signs. According to the speakers, the Connect Transit attorney has […]
By: Diane Benjamin At this week’s meeting it was mentioned that Champaign is trying hydrogen buses. It was mentioned Connect Transit might go that direction when they need more buses. Of course that would require different infrastructure. It would have been a lot easier to keep diesel buses and a lot faster to refuel them. […]
By: Diane Benjamin New article from Wyoming: https://dailycaller.com/2023/09/27/electric-bus-proterra-bankrupt-wyoming-teton-operation/ Connect Transit bought Proterra buses even though there was plenty of evidence other cities had problems with them, some abandoned them. In June CT bought $7,507.10 in parts from Proterra. In July they bought $3,799.64 more. In August they spent $1,334.80 on parts and tools. Keep in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Documentation for yesterday’s meeting: https://www.connect-transit.com/file/1782/09%2026%202023_BoT%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Since June was their year-end, reporting was delayed. The TOTAL OPERATING DEFICIT for last fiscal year was: $15,360,045 June loss: PDF page 8 July loss: PDF page 14 August loss: PDF page 20 June TOTAL income: $112,061 July TOTAL income: $93,493 August TOTAL income: $153,627 The moral […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was shocked when Connect Transit picked Proterra as their electric bus supplier. It appears the Board members appointed by the mayors of Bloomington and Normal didn’t bother to do a simple Google search. Plenty of stories were easily available detailing the problems with these buses and cities that quit using them […]
By: Diane Benjamin Have you noticed CT is “wrapping” the bus windows so you can’t see the bus it 99% empty? In May Connect Transit wrote Proterra a check for $3,524,229 for more electric buses. I hope they were delivered because Proterra declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy 2 days ago. Good luck getting parts! Proterra is […]
By: Diane Benjamin That amount is far from what the total cost is: PDF page 26 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yp2A-6qp7zjhmjc2XVjk9RPUrY9-yDxx/view Connect thinks you don’t pay Federal or State taxes. No local funds used. (Ha!) https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/report-philadelphias-proterra-fleet-in-complete-shambles/ Excerpt: The entire fleet of Proterra buses was removed from the roads by SEPTA, the city’s transit authority, in February 2020 due to […]
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 […]
