Bus the Birds: Getting around town without a car

Like many Illinois State students, I don’t have a car here at school. However, I don’t have to worry about getting around because of the awesome public transportation provided in Bloomington-Normal and at Illinois State.

Here are some of my tips and tricks on how to get around Illinois State and the community.

Connect Transit

The bus service in the Bloomington-Normal area is called Connect Transit. Whenever I need to get from place to place, I can always depend on the buses being on time, clean, and safe.

The best part? Rides are free when I use my student ID.

There’s an app for that!

Connect Transit even offers an iPhone and Android app to make travel easier. It’s super easy to use. Whenever I need to catch a bus, I just pull it up and the app tells me the location and movement of every bus. I also have the app send me notifications when a bus is close so I never miss a ride.

Redbird Ride

Getting around campus is a breeze with the many bus routes provided by Illinois State. Redbird Express, Nite Ride, and Late Nite Ride are three popular lines that run to main hubs on campus. They provide service from Cardinal Court and Tri-Towers and run to main locations on campus, such as the Bone Student Center.

As a freshman I lived in Watterson Towers and loved getting dinner at Tri-Towers with friends. Redbird Express picked me up right outside Watterson and dropped me off at the Tri-Towers dining center, Marketplace at Linkins. It made grabbing a bite to eat super easy and fast.

Getting around town

So we all need to go to Wal-Mart or Target at some point in the semester. (That Easy Mac and ramen noodles can only last you so long.)

When I lived at Watterson and needed to restock my food and snack drawer, I could easily take a bus from Uptown Station to any grocery store in town. The buses are well timed, making it easier to get there and back without having to wait on the next bus. I never had to worry about having too many bags because the buses are very spacious.

Popular lines

Here are some of the popular lines for Illinois State students:

Red B: Service to Uptown Station, Kmart, Redbird Arena, etc.

Pink D: Service to Wal-Mart, Meijer, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc.

Green A: Service to Heartland Community College, Alumni Center, etc.

Teal J: Service to Eastland Mall.

For more information about the bus services offered by Illinois State University, visit Parking.IllinoisState.edu.

#BirdofMouth student blogger Lily Nedland is a junior public relations major. Read more #BirdofMouth posts.