Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District
The Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District (colloquially known as the MTD) is a mass transit system that operates in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area in eastern Illinois. MTD is headquartered in Urbana and operates its primary hub at the intermodal Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,947,600, or about 34,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Illinois Terminal, transit hub for Champaign | |
| Founded | December 15, 1970 |
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| Commenced operation | August 2, 1971 |
| Headquarters | Urbana, Illinois |
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| Service type |
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| Stations | Illinois Terminal |
| Fleet | 114 buses |
| Daily ridership | 34,300 (weekdays, Q4 2023) |
| Annual ridership | 8,947,600 (2023) |
| Fuel type | |
| Chief executive | Karl Gnadt |
| Website | mtd |
At the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, which lies within the District, all students pay a $59 transportation fee every semester in exchange for unlimited use of the bus services. Primarily funded by property taxes, MTD currently levies about 28 cents of property taxes per $100 of assessed valuation; bus fares are another primary source of funding. MTD is led by a seven-member Board of Trustees, who are appointed by the Champaign County Board. Buses are produced by the Canadian company New Flyer and the American company Gillig. MTD introduced hybrid buses to its fleet in Fall 2009, and currently the vast majority of its buses are hybrid. Minibuses used for paratransit service, SafeRides service, and (occasionally) fixed route service, are cutaway vans with a Ford E series chassis.