CityLink
CityLink station in downtown Peoria
ParentGreater Peoria Mass Transit District
FoundedMay 4, 1970[1]
Headquarters2105 NE Jefferson St.
LocalePeoria, Illinois
Service areaPeoria County, Illinois
Tazewell County, Illinois
Service typebus service; paratransit; rural transportation
Routes18
Daily ridership5,500 (weekdays, Q3 2023)[2]
Annual ridership1,750,100 (2022)[3]
Fuel typeDiesel, hybrid, electric
OperatorFirst Transit (CityLink)[1]
Transdev (CityLift, CountyLink)
Chief executiveDoug Roelfs
Websiteridecitylink.org

The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District is a mass transit district based in Peoria, Illinois; the district itself also includes Peoria Heights and West Peoria.[4] It was established in 1970[1] and, prior to adopting the name CityLink, it was known as GPTransit. Regularly scheduled fixed route bus service is operated under the name CityLink, with the paratransit service being CityLift, and rural transportation service being CountyLink.[5] In 2022, the system had a ridership of 1,750,100, or about 5,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

History

Public Transit in Peoria began in 1870 with horse-drawn streetcars. Between 1889 and 1892, these were replaced by electric streetcars. The first buses were introduced in 1923 and from 1931 on trolleybuses were operated as well. The last streetcars and trolleybuses ran in 1946, being replaced by diesel buses. Greater Peoria Mass Transit District was formed in 1970 to take over operations of the struggling privately run bus service.[6]

In 1991, GP Transit became the first transit system in the country to test an ethanol powered bus. GP Transit was rebranded as CityLink in 2000, and soon after, in 2003, a new transit center was opened in downtown Peoria. On June 8, 2014, CityLink began offering Sunday service for the first time, which helped lead to fiscal year 2015 having the highest ever ridership for the system, at 3,420,705 riders.[7]

CityLink unveiled its first three electric buses in September 2021.The buses were manufactured by Proterra, Inc. and funded by a federal grant and lawsuit settlement.[8]

Routes

CityLink operates 18 fixed routes in Peoria County and Tazewell County, Illinois, including one "intercity" route between the main network and the Pekin, Illinois network.[9][10]

Peoria Transit Center

The Peoria Transit Center serves as the primary hub for CityLink, located at 407 SW Adams Street in downtown Peoria. It was completed in 2003 and remodeled in 2019–2020.[7][11] The center has an indoor waiting area, covered transfer area and ticket sales.[12] In addition to CityLink, Burlington Trailways intercity buses also serve the facility.[13]

Fixed Route Ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response. [14]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (CityLink) Announces Extension of First Transit, Inc Contract" (PDF) (Press release). Peoria, Illinois: Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. 2009-07-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "Trustees & Board Meeting". Peoria, Illinois: Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. 2009-09-14. Archived from the original on 2008-07-03.
  5. ^ "CityLift". Peoria, Illinois: Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. 2009-08-05. Archived from the original on 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  6. ^ "Transit Systems in Illinois". Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "History". Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "CityLink unveils three new Proterra battery-electric buses". September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  9. ^ CityLink Schedule and Maps Archived 2007-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Schedules & Routes". CityLink | Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  11. ^ Ali Reid (September 9, 2019). "CityLink begins phase one of downtown Peoria Transit Center". Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Transit Center". Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Illinois stops". Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved January 15, 2023.


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