Connect Transit rolls out new buses

Posted on September 4, 2015

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin helped unveil Connect Transit’s new buses. (Adam Studzinski/WJBC)

By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMIGNTON – Connect Transit’s aging fleet of buses is getting some new recruits.

The company unveiled five new 40 foot buses Friday afternoon. General Manager Andrew Johnson said those are the first of what will be a total of 30 new buses coming in over the next five years.

“We cannot wait until these buses are out on the street and serving the people of Bloomington-Normal,” said Johnson. “And I’ll tell you, with a 47 percent increase in Connect Transit ridership, these could not have come at a better time.”

The total cost of the buses was $2.25 million. 73 percent of the funding came from the federal Highway Trust Fund. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who was on hand for the event Friday, said that fund has been operating on short term bills. However, the Senate has passed a bill which would make it long term.

“And now it’s up to the House of Representatives to pick it up and move forward with it,” said Durbin. “They say they will in the month of September and I hope they do.

“What a day we have today with these beautiful buses that are now part of an effort by Connect Transit to modernize their fleet.”

The current average age of Connect Transit’s fleet is 11 years.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].

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