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Mass transit route cuts fuel use, saves money

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 11:23 PM CDT

As he often does, Larry Dietz hit the nail on the head with his comment earlier in the week: "Could there be a better time to expand public transportation in our district?"

The answer, with gas prices still approaching $4 a gallon, is a resounding "No." There really isn't a better time to explore more mass transportation options for Southern Illinois.

Dietz, the vice chancellor for student affairs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, was part of a group that announced the creation of a new bus route along Illinois 13 that links major education, health care and business establishments from Harrisburg to Carbondale.

Thanks in part to about $1 million in a combination of state and federal grants, officials with the Rides Mass Transit District and SIUC have developed the new route with the goal of providing additional transportation options for students, workers, job-seekers, and others.

Anyone can use the service, which costs $6 for a single, one-way trip between Harrisburg and Carbondale.

The route is divided into three zones, with rides costing $2 for one-way trips in each zone. The costs drop sharply, however, for those who buy package plans or special rate tickets. Books of 10 tickets, monthly passes, and children and senior rates are available. More information is available by calling the Rides Mass Transit District at (877) 667-6119.

Service already has started, and the regular bus stops include Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, John A Logan College in Carterville, Williamson County Regional Airport, Carbondale's Amtrak station, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, the University Mall and the SIUC Student Center.

Kudos go to CEO Bill Jung and the Rides district, and folks within SIUC's Center for Rural Health and Social Service Department, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and President Glenn Poshard's office, who all teamed together to obtain funding and develop the new route.

The money is earmarked to improve transportation networks within rural areas, which we all know pose unique challenges when compared to compact, urban centers.

A segment of Southern Illinois already has shown that we truly do use mass transportation. Amtrak is the perfect example. When an additional line was added last year to bring to three the number of trains running between Carbondale and Chicago, ridership took off and remains up nearly 20 percent.

And the Saluki Express bus system that serves the Carbondale area continues to attract ridership.

Strong ridership on the new bus route could prompt further mass transit choices, save precious fuel, give our pocketbooks a break and cut vehicle emissions. At the very least, it gives Southern Illinois residents a reliable, inexpensive mass transit option that didn't exist before the price of gas skyrocketed.