Another dissatisfied CityLink customer wrote a letter to the editor today:

The Peoria bus system needs an overhaul. […] We need more cross-town busing, buses that run more often, on time, and Sunday buses.

Citizens young and old should not have to wait long periods in the snow, rain, sleet and cold in order to get to work and/or appointments.

This letter-writer is right on target. I have experienced similar dissatisfaction with the city’s bus service; perhaps you remember this post:

I decided to try taking the bus. It was scheduled to arrive about five minutes to nine, so I started to the bus stop at a quarter till. It doesn’t take but maybe four minutes to walk to the bus stop, and I can see the intersection while I’m walking to it. Before I’ve walked for even two minutes, I see the bus go by. It came early — almost ten minutes early. Since it was a Saturday, the buses only run once an hour.

Or this one from last June:

First, bus travel is very slow. Part of the reason is that buses are pretty infrequent. They come only once every half hour during peak times, and once an hour during non-peak times. Plus, nine times out of ten you have to ride to the bus station first and transfer buses. Although the bus lines intersect elsewhere in town, there’s no easy way to transfer buses at these intersections. So unless you live on the same route as your destination, you have to ride to the transfer center first, which can add considerable time to your trip.

Second, many of the bus stops have no bench or shelter. If buses are going to be as infrequent as they are, every bus stop should at least have a bench. I doubt there are many elderly who would or could stand for half an hour to an hour waiting for a bus. Maybe that’s why I’ve never seen any elderly riding the bus. Ideally, each bus stop would also offer a shelter and a map of the various routes so the uninitiated can figure out what route they’re on and how to get to where they’re going.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s noticing. CityLink recently got a new general manager, Tom Lucek, who has over 25 years experience in mass transit. Here’s hoping he brings some much-needed reform to the city’s bus system.