According to a press release Monday, Bloomington Transit will delay service changes to most of its fixed routes before January 2021. The only exception will be changing Route 2 West 11th Street to Route 2 West 17th Street effective August 24, 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic could result in major funding reductions from federal, state, and local sources,” said to Lew May, BT General Manager. “As such, it’s important for us to know what and how much those cuts may be before moving forward with most service changes.”
Here is the text of the release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2020
Bloomington Transit Service Change Decision and Implementation Postponed Until 2021
Bloomington, Ind. – Bloomington Transit (BT) will not implement recommended service changes to most of its fixed routes before January 2021, per last week’s decision by the Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation Board of Directors. At their Tuesday, April 21 meeting, the board voted to postpone decisions on approval and implementation of service changes recommended by the Route Optimization Study conducted in 2018-19. An exception to the postponement affects Route 2 West 11th Street, the name of which will change to Route 2 West 17th Street effective August 24, 2020. No changes will be made to the route’s service days, hours or frequencies. A map of the revised route is attached.
“The COVID-19 pandemic could result in major funding reductions from federal, state, and local sources,” said to Lew May, BT General Manager. “As such, it’s important for us to know what and how much those cuts may be before moving forward with most service changes.”
BT continues to operate a Saturday schedule with additional service being provided on Route 3 Highland Village and service also operating on Route 7 Henderson/Walnut. The less frequent schedule reflects current ridership, which has declined to less than 10 percent of pre-pandemic levels on weekdays. BT continues to implement protocols to provide physical distancing between drivers and passengers to limit community spread of COVID-19, including the following:
Bloomington Transit is the Public Transportation Corporation for the City of Bloomington. Fixed route service is provided on nine routes serving most areas of the City. Bloomington Transit also offers BT Access, a specialized service available to persons with disabilities who are unable to use regular fixed route services. Persons seeking more information on Bloomington Transit services including BT Access may consult the BT website or call 336-RIDE (7433).
