Springfield, IL – The Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD) announced today that bus service will pass by the Illinois State Fairgrounds at bus stops along Sangamon Avenue over 550 times during the 2016 State Fair.
“Our regular Route 1 North 5th and Route 2 North 9th service will pass by the fairgrounds over 500 times during this year’s State Fair,” said SMTD Managing Director, Frank Squires. “And we have stepped up our public outreach this year to get the word out that there are plenty of bus trips to the state fair available to the public.”
Brochures detailing schedules will be available at local hotels, the fairgrounds and other popular visitor spots, and signage downtown, at fair gates and along the routes to the fair will make the routes much more visible to residents and visitors alike.
“After last year’s fair service changes, we evaluated ridership and comments we received from local passengers and visitors,” Squires said. “We have taken that feedback and turned it into visible improvements for fairgoers. It should be difficult to be downtown and not notice bus route signage for the fair this year.”
Service runs weekdays from 6:15 AM to 10:30 PM on weeknights and 6:15 AM to 6:15 PM on Saturdays. There is no Sunday service, and buses may not run their regular routes on the Thursday the State Fair opens due to parade traffic and street closures around the fairgrounds.
“We have addressed the most common complaints we heard last year, and those were primarily about information and communication to the public about what service is available,” added Squires. “As we continue to work on providing service during the fair each year, we will constantly evaluate our performance and any feedback we receive from the general public to make improvements for the following year.”
All of SMTD’s daytime routes that cover most of Springfield meet the state fair routes at the downtown transfer center throughout the day. Passengers needing to change buses downtown should ask their first driver for a transfer when they pay their fare. Regular fare for passengers 5-and-over is $1.25 each way. Seniors 65 or older with ID ride for $ .60 each way. The first two children under 5 ride for free. More than two children under five ride for $ .60 each.
