Decatur City Council passes vote to expand public transit to Mt. Zion

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — On Monday, Decatur City Council passed three resolutions that will transfer ownership of Macon County's Rural Transportation Service Program to the city. The resolutions also implement micro-transit options and expand services to Mt. Zion.

The ownership, operation, and management of the Transportation Service Program will be transferred from the county to the city of Decatur. It will also expand Transportation Services in Forsyth and Mt. Zion, through micro-transit shuttle options.

Lacie Elzy, the Transportation Services Director for the city of Decatur, said the implementation of micro-transit was born out of necessity. "We really identified a gap in service. " Elzy explained. "The city of Decatur does not have any taxi service, and we don't really have reliable Uber and Lyft services either."

Elzy explained that micro-transit would be similar to Uber or Lyft. "People will be able to schedule on demand transportation, via an app. Or they could call in to the transit center and then they could be picked up within fifteen minutes.

Once the plans are approved by IDOT, the city will be able to start accepting proposals. "We've never done micro transit before. And we want to make sure that it's done right." Elzy explained. "There are private contractors who have started micro transit in numerous cities around the United States that know how to do it, and do it well."

The city will not be paying for the program as the resolutions require that any Macon County fund balances that would be used for the Transit Service must be transferred to the City. This includes Section 5311 and Downstate Operating Assistance Program (DOAP) funds. Additionally, if any grants or funds do not cover the cost of the city operating the Transit Service, the county will be required to pay the deficit.

Since the city of Decatur has passed the resolutions, it now needs to move for approval from the other participating entities. It will need to be approved by the Macon County Board, Village of Forsyth Board of Trustees, and Village of Mt. Zion Board.