HOOPESTON — The CRIS Corn Cruiser, purchased by the Federal Transportation Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation Fund, began its daily trek from Hoopeston last week to offer all residents in the northern part of Vermilion County a means of transportation to and from Danville and Champaign.

The main goal of the new transportation is to help people without transportation connect with Champaign buses to get to jobs in Champaign as well as for those who work in Danville.

“Anyone can get on the bus for employment,” said Amy Marchant, CEO of CRIS Senior Services in Danville.

Les Woodrum, designer of the transit plan, added, “We’ve coordinated the times with the Danville Mass Transit to correspond with the buses to Champaign and with their return. Fifty percent of the ridership from Hoopeston will connect with Champaign.”

Woodrum, who also works for CRIS, said all riders will need to coordinate with the Danville Mass Transit to get to locations around Danville. The Corn Cruiser will drop everyone at the Danville Mass Transit station unless arrangements are made 24 hours in advance to be dropped at a location along the route.

“Anything along the route,” Woodrum said, “the riders can request a stop.”

The Corn Cruiser will make three trips a day to and from Hoopeston. The morning trip leaves at 6:45 a.m. from the Hoopeston Multi Agency and returns to Hoopeston at 10:30 a.m. Pick-up times for the morning trip will be between 6:15 and 6:45 a.m. at the Hoopeston Plaza, Anthem Chevrolet Buick, Centennial Apartments, the Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital and the Hoopeston Post Office.

The mid-day trip leaves Hoopeston at 11 a.m. from the Hoopeston Multi Agency and returns at 2:30 p.m. with pick-up times between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

The late afternoon trip will leave Hoopeston at 3 p.m. from the Hoopeston Multi Agency and return by 6:45 p.m. with pick-up times between 2:30 and 3 p.m., both with pick-ups at the same locations listed above.

Pick-up locations in Rossville will be at Summit and Green streets, the municipal building, Casey’s and the Public Housing Office.

Pick-up in Bismarck will be at the post office.

Danville pick-up locations will be at the Provena United Samaritans Medical Center, the Village Mall and Wal-Mart. To be picked up at a different location along the route, riders will need to pre-arrange the pick-up location with the drivers, Woodrum said.

Fare to ride the Corn Cruiser is $3 each way. Seniors ages 60 and older and the disabled will ride for $1.50 each way.

The Corn Cruiser will run Monday through Friday, with weekend trips. The Cruiser does have room for up to five wheelchairs, Woodrum said, but that would take up all the seats.

The Multi Agency, which provides transportation to seniors and the disabled around Hoopeston and Rossville to Danville and Champaign and occasionally other locations, may decide to cut back the trips it makes.

“We would probably just run in Hoopeston,” said Chalmers Flint, Multi Agency director. “But I’m willing to work anyway I can. As long as we can still hold our head above water, we can do it. I know there will be some hitches but we’ll work it out.”

According to Flint, the Multi Agency lost 28 percent of its budget this year so the CRIS Corn Cruiser will help eliminate some of the Multi Agency’s transportation costs to Danville.

“It will be bumpy at first,” Marchant said. “We hope you’ll ride over the bumps. We’ll get it figured out.”

FYI

Les Woodrum with CRIS Senior Services plans to

attend the Hoopeston City Council meeting Tuesday to explain the new transit plan and answer questions from residents.