Harrisburg, Illinois

Rides Mass Transit District is the general public transportation provider for nine Southern Illinois Counties of Pope, Hardin, Saline, Gallatin, Hamilton, White, Wayne, Wabash and Edwards. For 28 years, Rides has been a leader and advocate for rural public transportation and is nationally recognized for its service excellence and coordination efforts. Originally designed to be a demand-responsive service, established deviated routes have evolved due to regularity of riders and the need for human services transportation. To ensure a high level of service availability and to efficiently meet the rider demand in communities, Rides developed “Residential” routes to complement intercity service. These zoned deviated routes work through quadrants of a community every 15 minutes of the hour picking up riders at their homes, and incorporating stops at the major shopping centers and a series of stop shelters. During the summer season, additional stops such as the library, bowling alley or city pool are added to accommodate the travel patterns of children on break from school.

Rides provides most of the human service agency transportation in the nine counties and coordinates transportation for aging adults, those with disabilities, and the general public. To eliminate unnecessary miles and empty vehicles, Rides reserves the right to mix clients or general public riders on any route. In discussing the initial service agreement with agencies, Rides stresses that it will combine trips and that agencies are purchasing seat time only. To encourage coordination and cooperation, Rides educates the service agencies about what the system can do, supplies them with financial and operating information, and most importantly delivers the services promised. High-quality, responsive service is the key factor to successful coordination. Rides believes the coordinated use of a single regional system provides advantages over other types of coordination models. Reduced administrative cost and efficient use of vehicles throughout the service day allow a maximum investment in service delivery.