Public Hearing

Proposed Changes for the 2026–2027 Service Year

MTD's Planning team reviews system schedules annually and offers suggestions to improve service. Public meetings are scheduled every spring to present the recommendations and solicit public feedback on the proposed changes. This page will be updated regularly to provide important information to keep our customers informed throughout the process.

Save the Dates

MTD will be hosting Public Hearings to showcase proposed Fall Service changes for our 2026-2027 Service Year, and to collect and respond to community feedback. 

MTD’s Virtual Public Hearing will be hosted live on Teams on Tuesday, May 5, at 12:00PM. Our Planning team will describe changes proposed for the start of our new service year on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The public is invited to engage with our staff by asking questions and sharing feedback during the live presentation. The hearing will be recorded, all feedback will be documented, and both will be posted to our website after the event. 

An additional public, in-person hearing will be held Wednesday, May 6, at Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign from 4PM – 6PM. This hearing will allow the public to engage with staff face-to-face, if preferred. For those who cannot attend the live events, the materials will be posted and remain open for comment on our Public Hearing page through May 16. 

Community comments can be submitted in four ways: 

Web: Contact Us form 

Email: mtdweb@mtd.org 

Phone: 217.384.8188 

By Mail: Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, 1101 E. University Ave., Urbana, IL 61802; Attn. Karl Gnadt 

Following the close of this engagement period, modifications will be considered, and the final version of service changes will be published on MTD’s website, social media, and in the upcoming 2026-2027 edition of our Maps & Schedules Book. 

Virtual Public Hearing Recording

A recording of MTD’s Virtual Public Hearing will be available here following the live presentation, where proposed service changes for the 2026–2027 service year are reviewed and public feedback is collected.

Summary of Proposed Changes

Modifications to 1S Yellow Schedule to Improve Performance 

1S Yellow Schedule 

Over the last six months, data shows that over 18% of 1S Yellow trips leave Illinois Terminal over 5 minutes late. In the new service year, MTD is proposing changes that would help schedule adherence and improve on-time performance to locations south of Illinois Terminal. 

Beginning at 7:52 AM, trips from Champaign Walmart to Illinois Terminal will depart 5 minutes earlier, at :52 and :22 after the hour.  This proposed change reduces the current layover time at Champaign Walmart from 14 minutes to 9 minutes, and will add a new 5 minute layover at Illinois Terminal.

Adjustments to the Routing of the 9 Brown 

The 9A/9B Brown currently operates along Peabody Dr. in Campustown, which has posed some operational challenges. In the new service year, MTD is proposing moving this route from Peabody to Pennsylvania Ave., which is wider and better suited to bus traffic. There will be no changes to route timing.  

The current 9B Brown bus stop located at Fourth & Peabody SE will be removed, and a new 9B Brown bus stop will be added at Fourth & Pennsylvania. 

Modifications to 14 Navy Schedule to Improve Performance 

In response to passenger feedback related to schedule adherence on the 14 Navy, MTD is proposing modifications to the schedule of 14 Navy trips serving the Curtis Meadows area in the mornings and again in the afternoon. Frequencies will be changed to 35 minutes for these trips, which allows additional time for service to Lot E-14, from the Stephens Family YMCA to Windsor & Prospect, and from Lot E-14 to Illinois Terminal. 

With these changes, Mullikin & Curtis Meadow will be served by the 14E/W Navy in the mornings at 7:30 AM, 8:20 AM, 8:45 AM, and 9:30 AM.  

Mullikin & Curtis Meadow will be served by the 14E/W Navy in the afternoons at 4:55 PM, 5:32 PM, 6:15 PM, and 6:47 PM. 

The frequency of mid-day trips between 9:50 AM and 4:45 PM will remain unchanged. These trips do not serve Curtis Meadows.  

Modifications to 10 Gold Routing and Schedule 

In order to provide more consistent and timely service, MTD is proposing changes to simplify the 10 Gold routing in northeast Urbana.  

Proposed Routing Changes 

Currently, the 10E Gold serves northeast Urbana, traveling via Country Club Rd. to Cunningham Ave. to Kerr Ave. to Eastern Ave. At the Perkins & Eastern timepoint, the route transitions to the 10W Gold before continuing via Perkins Rd. to Carroll Ave. to Kerr Ave. to Cunningham Ave. to Country Club Rd. 

Under the proposed change, the 10E Gold would instead serve northeast Urbana via Country Club Rd./Perkins Rd. At the Perkins & Eastern timepoint, the route will transition to the 10W Gold before continuing via Eastern Ave. to Kerr Ave. to Cunningham Ave. to Country Club Rd.  

High ridership stops, including Perkins & Eastern and Town & Country, would continue to be served with no changes. 

Additionally, new service would be introduced along Perkins Rd. between Carroll Ave. and Cunningham Ave., improving access to the commercial area at the southeast corner of Cunningham and Perkins. 

Service along Carroll Ave. would be discontinued. Riders in this area would instead need to access service at nearby stops, including Perkins & Carroll or Carroll & Kerr.

Purpose of Routing Change 

Buses serving the northeast portion of the 10 Gold route have experienced consistent challenges maintaining scheduled times. The proposed routing change creates a larger, single-direction loop that requires less turning. This change is designed to streamline routing, improve operational efficiency, and significantly enhance on-time performance for all 10 Gold passengers. 

Schedule Changes 

Based on passenger feedback, MTD has confirmed that the first 10E Gold trip of the day is consistently 5-7 minutes late between Lot E-14 and Krannert Center. To improve schedule adherence, MTD is proposing starting the first 10E Gold trip of the morning at Mattis & Broadmoor at 6:20AM, and extending the trip to Lincoln Square. 

Additional Evening Trips 

In response to passenger feedback, MTD is proposing adding additional evening trips on the 10W Gold from Perkins & Eastern to Lincoln Square. We are proposing two additional trips from Perkins & Eastern to Lincoln Square at 6:20PM and 6:50PM.  

Expansion of West Connect Service Area 

In the new service year, MTD is proposing an expansion of the West Connect service area to include neighborhoods east of I-57 and south of Kirby Avenue (Maynard Lake, Lincolnshire Fields, Robeson Meadows West, Village at the Crossing) and Stratford Center.  

 The Stratford Center –  home to Niemann's and Ace Hardware – has been proposed as a new pick-up and drop-off location. 

Proposed New Service to Carle on Curtis; Replacing 5 Green Express 

In response to passenger feedback and the Carle organization, MTD is proposing creating a new route – the 17 Cherry – that will serve the Carle on Curtis facility, Liberty on the Lake, and additional areas of Cherry Hills.  

Pending the successful annexation of several parcels, the new 17 Cherry will replace the existing 5 Green Express route, which will provide a more robust and consistent service to residents. 

In addition to providing new service to the Carle on Curtis facility, Liberty on the Lake, and additional areas of Cherry Hills, the new 17 Cherry will improve service to areas currently served by the 5 Green Express by providing service in both directions throughout the day, rather than only between the peak hours of 6:30 AM and 9 AM, and 2 PM and 6 PM.   

Parcels pending annexation are: 

• Liberty on the Lake — Approximately 175 acres of land in this Savoy subdivision, which is adjacent to the Carle facility. 

• Illinois Power-Ameren Tract — About 4 acres, north of the Carle facility. 

• Cherry Hills — About 33 acres near this Champaign subdivision 

MTD has been looking at ways to serve the Carle facility since it opened in 2008. However, state law restricts transit districts from annexing parcels that are non-contiguous to district boundaries or taxed as farmland, which posed an obstacle to reaching the site. 

MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt explains, “In this case, all of the properties that were contiguous to our boundaries and in-between Carle and the District were taxed as farmland. It wasn’t until landowners of some of the farmland voluntarily agreed to be annexed that we could access the Carle property. We’re grateful for their willingness to support their community.”