For thousands of residents public transportation is their access to mobility and freedom. This is particular true for people with disabilities and lower income families without cars.

It is also a jobs issue. Without public transportation, in this case, buses, workers with disabilities (and students) ability to get to their jobs is curtailed if not eliminated as well as for other workers unable to afford a car.

In the capitol city of Illinois, Springfield, the public buses shut-down at 6pm. Springfield is the only city of its size in Central Illinois without evening service, and over the last many decades the Springfield Mass Transit District has shown little leadership to meet the needs of evening ridership.

CIOP has held numerous public meetings and direct actions on SMTD to create change on this issue. The organization has joined forces with a coallition of diability groupd and other grassroots leaders. Finally after nearly 8 months of organizing SMTD agreed to submit a funding request to both initiate a study of evening service and most importantly a Congretional request to fund a pilot evening bus service project.

Not letting up on the issue get stale, CIOP Springfield leaders, Kathi Edwards (First Presbyterian), Rev. Charles Jackson (St. John's AME Church), Shelly Heideman (Elizabeth Ann Seton Project), Ednamae Bruce (Hope Presbyterian) let other CIOP members in Washington on April 25 to take the issue directly to the US Congress!

Please review the proposed night route network and give us your feedback! View the full PDF map here... Proposed Routes

Nearly 200 residents attend joint CIOP/Urbitran/IDOT public hearing on need for evening bus service. Of over 40 speakers, all testimony provided spoke to the need for evening service from a variety of perspectives. Many of the audience members and those providing testimony represented the disability community of Springfield. Urbitran states at the hearing that based on hearing attendance feasibility study will proceed to next phase.

Federal Funds are released to SMTD for BOTH Pilot Bus Service and Consultant Feasibility Study.

Feasiblity Study Advisory Board meets on September 27 with Urbitran Engineering.

In a 30 day follow-up call with Obama and Durbin staff, CIOP learns the transfer between federal agencies has been agreed to. CIOP will be copied the emailed the federal DOT commitment.

Even the best plans can run into Washington problems. Though the appropriate passed Congress and signed by the President, the pilot project was placed in the Highway budget and not the federal transportation administration budget. In meetings in Washington, CIOP leaders renew the support of Sen. Obama staff Mike Strautmanis and Sen. Durbin staff Mike McLaughlin to move the federal bureaucracy and get the funding released.

CIOP leaders got the job done while in Washington for National People's Action conference. We spoke to both Senator Durbin and Senator Obama's office regarding securing their support for funding evening bus service in Springfield IL. Both agreed to fight and submit for inclusion of $375,000 to fund a pilot project to implement evening bus service in Springfield.

CIOP leaders and allies went to the Springfield Mass Transit District Board meeting to report on our meeting with the Washington offices of Senator Durbin and Obama regarding funding evening bus service. These congressional meetings were dovetailed with our participation at the 34th annual National People's Action (NPA) conference.

SMTD Board chair agreed to "get working" and committed to write letters to the Illinois congressional delegation supporting evening bus service funding, attach CIOP's letter to theirs, and send CIOP a copy. We're moving in the right direction! Let's make those bus headlights come on in 2005!