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Mass Transit Memorandum <br /> No. 112403-2 page 2 <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> The Airport Plaza Express bus route connects the downtown Transit Center and the commercial <br /> area near the airport, at the intersection of US 36 and IL 121. This area is also served by two <br /> non-express routes. The express bus route was first operated on May 1, 2002. After a 6 month <br /> probationary period, the route was reviewed and it was determined that low ridership would be <br /> improved by increasing the frequency of service from once per hour to once every 30 minutes. <br /> However, even after the improved service started in March, ridership on this route has been <br /> unacceptably low. The only route with lower ridership is the#53 Enterprise - Taylor Rd. route <br /> that operates only once every two hours. The estimated ridership for the year is 7,600; the <br /> estimated annual cost of operating the Airport Plaza Express route is $87,240. <br /> A public hearing was held to discuss the proposed route elimination. No one was opposed to <br /> eliminating this route, but several people said that if the route were eliminated, then the times for <br /> the other two routes which serve that commercial area should be staggered so that one route <br /> leaves the Transit Center at :15 past the hour and the other leaves at :45 past the hour. This <br /> would provide better service by giving riders more times to travel between downtown and the <br /> airport commercial area. <br /> No full-time bus drivers will lose their jobs because of this change. The two full-time positions <br /> required to operate this route were recently lost by attrition: one driver retired and one was <br /> promoted to Street Supervisor. The drivers on this route are now all part-time operators. <br />