Connect Transit
 | |
 A bus leaving Uptown Station in 2022 | |
| Formerly | Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | 351 Wylie Dr. |
| Locale | Normal, Illinois |
| Service area | McLean County, Illinois |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 16 |
| Stations | Uptown Station |
| Fleet | 44 Transit, 27 Demand Response |
Daily ridership | 8,500 (weekdays, Q1 2026)[1] |
Annual ridership | 2,285,700 (2025)[2] |
| Fuel type | Diesel, Electric, Propane |
| Website | connect-transit.com |
Connect Transit, is the name that Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System ,[3]is doing business as, and is the primary public transit provider Bloomington–Normal, Illinois. The system consists of 16 fixed routes including the Illinois State University Redbird Express. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 2,285,700, or about 8,500 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2026.
Unlike other transit systems in downstate Illinois, Connect Transit is not a mass transit district. Rather it is an intergovernmental agency of the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal. In 2025, the Bloomington City Council and Normal Town Council approved resolutions allowing Connect Transit to operate beyond it boundaries. The resolution will allow the McLean County Government to establish its own intergovernmental agreement with Connect Transit to operate service in the rural parts of the County. On July 1, 2025, Connect Transit launched Connect GO, a demand-response service dedicated to serving rural McLean County.[4][5][6]
History
[edit]
Until 1972, Bloomington-Normal was served by National City Lines. When the company left the region, the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal established an intergovernmental agency known as the Bloomington Normal Public Transit System, via intergovernmental agreement. The transit system operates as an independent agency governed by a board appointed by both the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal.[3]
Routes
[edit]Connect Transit's buses run every 15, 30, or 60 minutes, depending on the route, time of day, and day of the week. Service is offered in the day and evening hours daily, although hours are reduced on weekends. Buses do not operate on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.[7] Basic adult fare is $1.25 with free transfers. 1, 7, or 30 day bus passes are available.[8]
Connect Transit has two main transfer centers. Uptown Station, located in Normal, is also served by Amtrak and by intercity buses. Eight routes have one terminus here. The other transfer center is two miles to the south, in downtown Bloomington on Front Street across from the McLean County Law & Justice Center. Nine routes have one terminus here. The Green, Red, and Lime routes serve both locations.[9]
A new Downtown Bloomington Transit Center is being planned to replace the existing Front Street location. It will be located at the city-owned Market Street Parking Garage (which is expected to be demolished) three blocks north of the current site. Officials expect the new facility to open in late 2026 or early 2027.[10][11][12][13]
The Olive route that ran along Normal's north side was eliminated on July 1, 2019, due to low ridership.[14]
Beginning in August 2026, Connect Transit plans to launch two new routes. One route will connect ISU's main campus in Normal with its new engineering campus in east Bloomington along General Electric Road and is expected to have 20 minute headways on weekdays and 30 minute headways on weekends. The other new route will connect Heartland Community College's Normal campus with its campus in Pontiac in neighboring Livingston County. It will have three daily departures from Monday through Thursday and make stops in Towanda, Lexington, and Chenoa[15][16]
Route List[9]
| Route Name | Northern/Western Terminus | Southern/Eastern Terminus | Interval (min) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua | Downtown Bloomington | Greyhound & Southgate | 60 mins | |
| Blue | Shoppes at College Hills | Downtown Bloomington | 60 mins 30 mins (Peak hour) | |
| Brown | Bloomington Walmart | Uptown Station | 60 mins | |
| Gold | Carle BroMenn | Downtown Bloomington | 60 mins | |
| Green | Uptown Station | Downtown Bloomington | 15 mins or 30 mins (weekend) | |
| Lime | Uptown Station | Downtown Bloomington | 30 mins | |
| Orange | Downtown Bloomington | Hamilton Rd & State Farm Plaza | 60 mins | |
| Pink | School St & Northfield Dr | Uptown Station | 30 mins or 60 mins (Sundays) | |
| Purple | Downtown Bloomington | Shoppes at College Hills | 60 mins or 30 mins | |
| Red | Uptown Station | Downtown Bloomington | 30 mins | |
| Mint | Normal Walmart | Shoppes at College Hills | Mon-Fri | 30 Mins |
| Redbird Express | Cardinal Court | Beaufort St & School St | 5 - 7 mins or 20 mins | |
| Sapphire | Rivian | Bloomington Walmart | 60 mins | |
| Silver | Bloomington Walmart | Downtown Bloomington | 60 mins | |
| Tan | Uptown Station | Central Illinois Regional Airport | 60 mins | |
| Yellow | Heartland Community College | Uptown Station | 30 mins or 60 mins (Sundays) |
Connect FLEX
[edit]In July 2023, Connect Transit launched a new microtransit service branded as Connect FLEX. The service will primarily serve a zone in southwest Bloomington and have the same hours-of-operation as the fixed-route system. For continued travel outside the zone, Connect FLEX vehicles will drop off passengers at locations such downtown Bloomington or Bloomington Walmart to allow transfers to fixed-route system.[17]
In order to ride, passengers need to download a dedicated mobile app or call a phone number in order to notify the nearest vehicle of their trip. The cost to ride is $1.[18]
Connect GO
[edit]On July 1, 2025, Connect Transit launched a new demand-response service branded as Connect GO. The new service will serve the rural areas of McLean County not served by the urban fixed-route system.[19][20]
Connect GO replaces SHOW BUS as the public transportation provider for rural McLean County, which is a result of the McLean County Board's Executive Committee voting in June 2024 to withdraw from an intergovernmental agreement with other Central Illinois counties to provide public transportation through SHOW BUS.[21]
Unlike the urban system, policy and oversight of Connect GO will be handled by the McLean County Board rather than the Connect Transit Board. The County Board will have a say over hours and days of operation, services provided, fare policy, and its budget. Funding for Connect GO will be made up of federal Section 5311 rural transit formula funds and IDOT Downstate Operating Assistance Program (DOAP) funds rather than revenues directly from the County.[22]
Since its launch, Connect GO has been fare-free. Connect Transit has proposed instituting a $4 one-way fare for in-county trips and $8 one-way fare for out-of-county trips, but the proposal was rejected by the McLean County Board in July 2026 and is expected to undergo revisions.[23]
Fleet
[edit]Source:[24]
Transit
[edit]| Fleet number(s) | Model Year(s) | Manufacturer | Model | Length | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 309
(1 bus) |
2003 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 feet (12 m) | Cummins ISC | ZF 5HP592C |
|
| 1001
(1 buses) |
2010 | Gillig | Low Floor | 35 feet (11 m) | Cummins ISL9 EPA10 | Allison B400R |
|
| 1101–1104
(4 buses) |
2011 |
| |||||
| 1002-1004
(3 buses) |
2010 | New Flyer | D40LFR | 40 feet (12 m) |
| ||
| 1105-1116
(12 buses) |
2011 | DE40LFR | Allison H 40 EP
hybrid system |
| |||
| 1501-1505
(5 buses) |
2015 | XD40 | Cummins ISL9 EPA13 | Allison B400R | |||
| 1601-1607
(7 buses) |
2016 | ||||||
| 1801-1805
(5 buses) |
2017 | Cummins L9 EPA17 | |||||
| 1806-1810
(5 buses) |
2018 | ||||||
| 2101-2104
(4 buses) |
2021 | Proterra | ZX5 | 35 feet (11 m) | |||
| 2201-2208
(8 buses) |
2022 | ZX5Max | 40 feet (12 m) |
Demand Response
[edit]| Fleet number(s) | Model Year(s) | Manufacturer | Model | Length | Engine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1701–1704
(4 buses) |
2017 | Ford Champion |
E450 LF Transport |
26 feet (7.9 m) | Propane | |
| 181-189
(9 buses) |
2018 | Ford Starcraft |
E450 Allstar |
21 feet (6.4 m) | Ford Modular 6.8L V10 Gasoline | |
| 201-206
(6 buses) |
2020 | Ford Elkhart |
E450 EC II |
Ford Godzilla 7.3L V8 Gasoline | ||
| 231-233
(3 buses) |
Ford Starcraft |
E450 | 21 feet (6.4 m) | Gasoline | ||
| 22001-22005 | Braunability Ram |
ProMaster 3500 | Gasoline |
Fixed Route Ridership
[edit]The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2026" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- 1 2 "About Us".
- ↑ Fogerson, Braden (2025-04-08). "Normal council OKs Connect Transit expansion beyond Bloomington-Normal". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ Warnecke, Lauren (2025-06-30). "Connect Go rural transit service launches July 1". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
- ↑ "2019 Connect Transit Short-Range Plan".
- ↑ "Holiday Service". Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Connect Transit Fares". Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- 1 2 "System Maps". July 1, 2021. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ↑ Stock, Eric (2025-12-02). "Connect Transit awarded $5 million grant for planned Bloomington transfer center". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ cleargroup (2023-09-03). "Introducing a New Transit Center". Downtown For Everyone, Bloomington, Illinois. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Steinbacher, Michele (2025-02-27). "Connect Transit leaders confident downtown transfer center is on track, despite rising costs". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Howell, Ben (2026-03-16). "Connect Transit transfer center designs pass the halfway mark". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
- ↑ "Connect Transit Delays Fare Hike; Scraps Olive Route". March 26, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ↑ Stock, Eric (2026-05-27). "New route to ISU College of Engineering among Connect Transit's proposed service changes". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Fischer, Lauren (2026-07-07). "New Connect Transit line connects Heartland Community College's Normal and Pontiac campuses". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Denham, Ryan (2023-07-15). "Connect Transit Flex microtransit service to launch Sunday, serving southwest side". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Transit, Connect. "Connect FLEX | Connect Transit of Central Illinois". Connect Transit. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Warnecke, Lauren (2025-06-30). "Connect Go rural transit service launches July 1". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Transit, Connect. "Connect Go". Connect Transit. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Ellin, Melissa (2024-06-11). "McLean County Board to vote on placing referendum to eliminate auditor's office on November ballot". WGLT. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ "May 2025 Agenda Packet, McLean County Board Executive Committee".
- ↑ "McLean County Land Use & Transportation Committee July 2026 meeting". YouTube.
- ↑ Transit, Connect. "Our Fleet". Connect Transit. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- ↑ "Connect Transit Fleet". Archived from the original on 2019-11-01. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ↑ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved January 8, 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System at Wikimedia Commons