By Adam Studzinski
NORMAL – Connect Transit is working to make sure its buses still have a stop at Normal West High School after a plan to stop service there brought concern from the public.
General Manager Andrew Johnson explained the reason for a plan to stop service at the school was due to low ridership.
“We hired a consultant that wasn’t from around here,” said Johnson. “The reason we did that was because we wanted somebody to take a very objective look at our entire system and then, after that consultant brought us the recommendations, we would give that the more local flavor.”
Johnson said Connect Transit has been working with Unit 5 and, while they haven’t reached any conclusions, he expects to be able to continue providing service at Normal West.
Senior housing stops
Meanwhile, there has also been concern that longer buses is going to mean buses won’t be able to go all the way to the doorway at many senior citizen housing facilities. That would mean some seniors would have to walk farther to a bus stop.
Johnson said they’ve been working with building managers on some of the potential issues.
“In some cases it’s not quite as big a problem as initially thought,” said Johnson. “In other cases, yeah, we’re trying to get creative in ways to make it win-win for everyone.”
Johnson added even if Connect Transit wasn’t bringing in longer buses, he would be advocating not entering driveways. He said doing so can take up a lot of time, and can create some unsafe situations.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at adam.studzinski@cumulus.com.
