Connect Transit reports ridership growth and delays fare rollout to July

Connect Transit officials updated the McLean County Land Use and Transportation Committee on Jan. 6 about service changes, ridership gains and a paused fare rollout.

Brandon Miles, Connect Transit’s presenter, said the agency expanded advance booking from five to seven days and launched a new dispatch and reporting platform in October. "I'm just gonna update everybody on some of our quarter 2 findings," Miles said, and reported that the agency completed 422 rides in quarter 1 and "saw a 68% increase to 710" rides in quarter 2, for 1,132 total rides since the service began in July.

Miles told the committee that denials — trips a rider requests but the service cannot provide — dropped from 32 in quarter 1 to 15 in quarter 2 after Connect added a second bus. "The reason we would ever deny a trip would just be because we don't have the availability with a bus," he said, adding peak denial windows around 9–10 a.m. and 2–3 p.m.

On planned fare collection, Miles said the agency postponed implementation to "July 1 at the earliest" to coordinate farebox hardware and software across fixed‑route and paratransit fleets and to allow additional public outreach. He said Connect Transit is exploring pass options (monthly or annual) and reviewing marketing and community education strategies, including social media, physical materials and local education sessions.

Miles also described a proposal to the Illinois Department of Transportation to coordinate cross‑county trips: under his proposal, the county where a trip originates would operate the outbound leg and the destination county would operate the return leg. He said the idea is a work in progress and that counties differ on whether to use transfer points at county lines.

Committee members raised accessibility concerns after a member recounted seeing an elderly rider disembark and face piled snow between the curb and sidewalk. Miles said Connect Transit clears landing pads where they exist but that not every stop has a dedicated landing pad; sidewalks and curb areas are typically a town or city responsibility.

Miles told the committee a countywide survey planned for quarter 3 will guide service adjustments and potential deviated fixed‑route pilots in high‑demand areas; the survey launch slipped and will appear in the coming quarter. He offered to follow up with committee members about recent state reimbursement legislation.

What happens next: Connect Transit will continue outreach before implementing fares, will launch the countywide survey later this quarter, and will brief the committee on follow‑up details as they are available.