Go West Transit
Founded | 1998 |
---|---|
Headquarters | 701 East Pierce Street |
Locale | Bus service, paratransit |
Routes | 17 |
Fleet | 18 buses |
Website | Go West Transit |
Go West Transit is the primary provider of
History
In May 1998, Western Illinois University students voted 78% in favor of assessing a fee on themselves for the purpose of providing a bus system. This service began in February 1999 with one route.[4] The first day saw 3 buses serving 1200 riders. By April, 3 more routes had begun service, with another route being added in October and one more in May of 2000. Ridership the first year totaled 648,891. Ridership reached 1.09 million in 2004 increasing to 1.35 million in 2006. In 2008, the Federal Transit Association (FTA) awarded Go West with a Ridership Award. Real time bus tracking began in fall 2009 with individualized bus stop texting to provide schedule times beginning in January 2010.[5][6]
Since 1999, Go West Transit has served over 28.5 million riders with the all time ridership record occurring on October 29, 2011 with 15,885 riders.
Service
Go West Transit operates
Fares of $0.50 were in place from 2007-2009, excepting children, WIU students, those with disabilities and seniors. After fares were eliminated, ridership increased more than 200%.[8]
City Center Transfer Center
The City Center Transfer Center serves as the primary transfer hub for Go West Transit. It is located on North Randolph Street, across from the Amtrak station and opened on December 2, 2011. The facility cost around $600,000 and provides parking for Amtrak, as well as a covered waiting area with benches and heating for riders. Previously, bus transfers occurred in the parking lot of a nearby Family Video store and earlier at Spoon River College on Johnson Street.[9]
Fixed route ridership
The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [10]
See also
References
- ^ "Local Go West only 'free' bus system in Illinois". 3 March 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "City of Macomb Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Transit systems in Illinois". Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Go West Transit: A good way to go". Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "About Go West". Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Transreport: The Newsletter of the Illinois Rural Transit Assistance Program" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "System Maps" (PDF). Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-309-22361-4. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Go West to obtain new hub". Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved January 15, 2023.
External links