An infusion of money from the state — although three quarters late — will allow a regional transportation program to resume services for the public next week.
West Central Mass Transit District will resume services Monday and will be available from 6:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. weekdays.
“We received our first quarter reimbursement payment last week and, as promised, we are opening up services to the general public in each of the six counties served by West Central Mass Transit District,” Executive Director R. Jean Jumper said Thursday.
The payment is about a third of what the state owes to the district. State payments have been delayed significantly because of an ongoing budget impasse.
“We received about 35 percent of what was currently approved and with that amount, will be able to sustain limited public services in the six-county area from now until March,” Jumper said. “We promised we’d be back as soon as money was received, and we are keeping that promise as best we can.”
The transportation program had to curtail services and hours in the past few months because of the funding slowdown. It still will not be able to provide Job Access Routes to JBS in Beardstown or Dot Foods in Mount Sterling and also had to suspend its Safe Ride program until it can receive donations or sponsors to restart the Friday and Saturday night late hours.
Springfield trips will be available beginning in January on two Wednesday mornings a month, with the first being Jan. 4.
Jumper said she has been working closely with elected officials.
“The battle continues as we work to ensure that payments by the state of Illinois are made in a timely manner” she said. “We must continue to communicate with our statewide elected officials to make sure that they know how important public transportation is to the citizens and that only with timely payments can we continue to serve people. … Neglecting to keep the pressure on is not an option.”
West Central Mass Transit District serves Morgan, Scott, Brown, Pike, Cass and Schuyler counties.
