Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District

I really didn’t need a car in Chambana when I lived there because of the MTD. The number of routes and service times were always great, and got me pretty much anyplace I could ever want to go in either city. Buses were largely on-​time, and even back then had text-​for-​times and a mobile website to check route information. I’m sure it’s only better now.
If you do ride, keep an eye open for Bill #9, who is probably the kookiest conversationalist of a bus driver I’ve ever met. Every ride with him was fun, guy always had something to say. For instance, when we’d pass Goodwin and Green, he would comment about the «good win» the Illini had the previous week. What a character.

The CUMTD (MTD for short) is the best transit system I’ve been on in the US. Of course it is not as extensive as the NYC subways which I used for 30 years, but for an area the size of CU, we are really blessed to have these buses. The drivers are polite and considerate — once I was standing at the wrong spot and the driver waited for me at the correct bus stop until I trundled over. The buses almost always run on time, and best of all, an annual pass for unlimited rides is $ 60 a YEAR! I use the bus all the time and it’s a pleasure. Cities like Cincinnati where I just moved from should come here and study what happens when customers are the number one priority. NYC could learn a thing or two too!

This is my 4^rd year in UC and CU MTD is a life saver…
You can go almost everywhere with them almost anytime. The GPS Systems Installed in each bus allows you to be able to track them in the web and know when they pass in your stop. VERY useful when you get wind chills of –20 F…
My only complain is that sometimes the rides are too crowded.

After moving to the big city, I realized just how good the bus system at UofI is. Back in the day we just waited until the bus came, but now they have those digital boards that tell you how long it will be unti the next bus comes — awesome! The buses are always clean, there’s hardly ever smelly homeless people on there. And they are a blast when the bars close! Multiple bus lines and lots of stops, if you live on campus you are never more than 2 – 3 blocks from a bus. Just don’t make the mistake of getting on the wrong bus and having to ride for an extra 30 min because you got on the wrong way :) Also, it’s nice that even the off-​campus buses are free for students.

MTD is a great way to get to class when the weather is nasty. However, the buses are often late, so be sure to choose a bus that arrives to your destination a few minutes early. At least the MTD buses are free to students.

I’ve always been pretty indifferent about the CU MTD. I relied on the bus for a couple years to get to campus and it wasn’t terribly pleasant, reliable, or timely (caveat: I was on the route used by Urbana middle school students and rode the bus the same time as all the kids, which probably had something to do with the various forms of unpleasantness). That said, the MTD fills an EXTREMELY important need in this community and I’ve never had any doubt that they do the best they can.
Then, today, I read this:
Public transportation is being suspended in observance of a religious holiday. Are you freakin’ kidding me? Sorry to all of you who rely on the MTD to get to work, the grocery store, to visit family or even go to church. You won’t be doing it this Sunday.

For my 500^th review, I thought about writing about beaches in San Diego, art centers in Los Angeles, cafes in New Mexico, or bookstores in Boston. But it seemed right to focus on the Mass Transit District of Champaign-​Urbana, the bus system that keeps my life in order.
I moved a month ago to Chambana, and it has quickly become apparent that I do not live in Southern California any more. The land is flat, the wind comes sweeping through, the place is smaller in scope, and I’m rapidly realizing that I’m not going to want to rely on my car when the snow falls from the sky.
Enter Champaign-​Urbana Mass Transit District.
There’s no need for a parking permit when there are countless, continuously running lines covering the entire area. My weekday mornings find me checking my house, looking through my backpack, making sure all my stuff is in order, before frantically hustling down the street in order to catch the 13 Silver South Line to campus, which runs twice an hour.
If I’m worried about catching the bus, the MTD has a text messaging service, where you can text the bus line with a number and get real time information for when the bus is arriving. Let me tell you, a text message has saved me more than once from missing the last bus before class starts. :)
The website is unfortunately abbreviated (
), but wonderfully comprehensive. I’ve had generally great luck with the drivers on the 5, 10, 13, and 7, and I’m really glad to have made it to a place with really accessible, constant, reliable mass transit. I’m slightly less worried about gas prices, as it’s free for university students to ride the ever-​present CUMTD system. :)
In short, thank you so much, Chambana MTD for getting me where I need to go all the time, every time.

Oh MTD, how I miss you.
I was such an avid bus-​rider in Champaign-​Urbana. There was no need to own a car, really. Moving to Los Angeles was quite a shock to the system.
LA tries, it really does try, but it does not come close to succeeding. I realize the challenges are vastly more difficult, but oh, how I miss being able to get wherever I wanted to go in a reasonable amount of time.

The mass transit system in Champaign-​Urbana is actually really good! You can get almost anywhere by the bus! The 22 is the most used bus which will take you anywhere on campus that is in the most traveled area… Green St., the Quad, ect.

It’s so easy to get around C-​U without a car, thanks to their awesome transportation system. They even have kneeling buses for wheelchair dependent citizens. The schedules and maps are easy to follow, and they coordinate the lines to make travel anywhere in the area quite simple. Lots of service near the university, but you’ll most likely find a convenient bus line anywhere you live.