Bus Tour Gives Legislator Better Understanding of New District
By: Kim Behrens
Updated: November 16, 2012
Bloomington's public busing system had a special guest rider Friday.
State Representative Keith Sommer took a tour of the city on Connect Transit.
Paired with the bus system's general manager, he wanted to find out if routes are meeting people's needs.
Currently, Connect Transit is trying to make bus transportation more efficient.
That includes streamlining trips, eliminating stops in many parking lots, and reworking the Teal-J route which provides rides to the airport.
"The people I spoke with were pleased with the service in general," said Sommer. "The stops were convenient. They didn't have complaints. They had concerns about what changes may be made in the future."
"The population demographics have shifted so we're trying to get those to where all the people are," added Connect Transit General Manager Andrew Johnson.
Connect Transit is also applying for a three million dollar grant to purchase 10 new buses.
It has 20 with more than 400,000 miles on them.
That's about 50,000 miles over their maximum life.
State Representative Keith Sommer took a tour of the city on Connect Transit.
Paired with the bus system's general manager, he wanted to find out if routes are meeting people's needs.
Currently, Connect Transit is trying to make bus transportation more efficient.
That includes streamlining trips, eliminating stops in many parking lots, and reworking the Teal-J route which provides rides to the airport.
"The people I spoke with were pleased with the service in general," said Sommer. "The stops were convenient. They didn't have complaints. They had concerns about what changes may be made in the future."
"The population demographics have shifted so we're trying to get those to where all the people are," added Connect Transit General Manager Andrew Johnson.
Connect Transit is also applying for a three million dollar grant to purchase 10 new buses.
It has 20 with more than 400,000 miles on them.
That's about 50,000 miles over their maximum life.
