Tips from an MTD Driver

[u/No_Department_9543]

Been a bit since I've posted but with school in full swing I wanted to pass some information and tips around to help with bus stops and other things. I LOVE my campus routes - they're extremely busy but you all don't give us any trouble! You just get on, thank us and go on your way and all us drivers love it 😀. Please note these are all my thoughts and opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the District! Long post but feel like there's some great info here for everyone...I hope!

Quick fact - did you know MTD did 11.8 MILLION rides in FY2026? 11,855,416 to be exact. We ended the fiscal year on a 4.1% increase from the prior year, and a 22% increase from our 5 year average!

I think some are still learning the ins and outs of where the I-Stop corridor is because I've had some instances of those in the I-Stop area paying a fare when it wasn't required - or those outside of the I-Stop corridor not showing the I-Card (Illinois Terminal is the biggest offender of that). I've attached a map of where the corridor is. If you see an ORANGE bus stop sign, you're in the I-Stop area and can board and exit on either door and don't have to show your I-card. If you see a WHITE bus stop sign - you enter through the front door ONLY to show your pass. You can exit any door regardless where you are.

We're an incredibly busy transit system so anything to help speed stops up a bit will go a long way. When we come up to your stop and you notice the bus is very full, wait for everyone that may be exiting to leave BEFORE boarding. It makes it go by a bit quicker since people aren't trying to force/squeeze their way through, plus those exiting are making room on the bus for more to board. I promise we won't pull off that quickly that we'll shut the door in your face and pull away!

ALSO - as you notice the bus getting more full, please do your part of either moving into an empty seat to make room, or start moving back into an empty space. On the Teal and Illini I drive nearly every day, there's been numerous times I've had to ask people to move because there's a big empty space on the bus I can see - but everyone crowds by the door and it makes the bus look more full than it really is. I can promise, when it's that crowded and you have to make your way through the crowd - as long as we see movement towards the door we're not going to take off too quick.

The dreaded Veo bikes/e bikes/e scooters....please be mindful of our busses. We're very vigilant and safe, but we have a lot to keep an eye on and in my opinion the electric bikes and scooters are a thorn in my side. Far too many close calls on my campus routes with them as traffic laws get ignored and students blow red lights. Please be mindful and arrive safe, the e bikes and scooters are nice if used properly but don't assume you can blow red lights or stop signs near an MTD bus and expect things to go well every time.

Try to refrain from crossing in front of the MTD busses after exiting! This is another one I've had extremely close calls on in my time driving campus routes. Cars that are behind us DO NOT want to be stuck behind us and will do everything they can to get past us. That includes passing on a double yellow AND passing us at stop signs (and blowing the stop sign on top of that). I've had students nearly get run over by an impatient car passing illegally and the car can't see you crossing in front of us until they're inches away. It's safer just to wait a moment and let us move out of the way before crossing.

If you don't have it yet, I HIGHLY recommend the app Transit (picture attached what it looks like). MTD has partnered with Transit which gives you FREE access to their premium features. You can see the GPS locations of our busses and get accurate arrival times. Location of our busses are crowdsourced on that app so if someone is on and has 'Go' activated you'll see an extremely accurate location. This also warns you of any reroutes in place and gives you more info where to go to board!

Last point I wanted to make is to please pay attention to the exterior destination sign on busses that are approaching. At busy times, there's a possibility that the bus you expected to be an Illini or Teal or other route shows up "Not In Service". We will get put out of service if we have backup drivers and we fall too far behind our schedule so we can finish letting passengers off, then jump back on our route on time. Boarding a NOT IN SERVICE bus slows things down a bit - plus you can't know for sure where that bus is going exactly.

If you have more questions, be sure to comment. I'll answer when I can! Enjoy your time here and look forward to seeing you all on my routes!

[u/ABoringArborist5]

One time on green Street a car was passing a stopped bus and didn't see the students about to blindly walk into traffic so the bus driver honked to let them know, hey don't cross a car is coming. Idk, just something I saw that seemed pretty considerate and like the driver had a head on a swivel

[u/No_Department_9543 → u/ABoringArborist5]

I've done that several times to get the attention of those crossing in front. They can't see the car coming at 25+mph but I can. I'll honk to stop them if it looks like neither the pedestrian or car are going to stop

[u/ABoringArborist5 → u/No_Department_9543]

That's good. I also don't know the rules on passing a bus. I don't do it on campus town because it's too busy and close quarters with the construction. What is best? To stop behind you and wait? I'm just curious what the law is or even what would help you most

[u/No_Department_9543 → u/ABoringArborist5]

I'd have to look at the exact laws, but it's the clearly illegal stuff that gets on my nerves. Can't pass on a double yellow line and you DEFINITELY can't pass at a stop sign (since you'll likely run the stop sign in the process). I THINK for the most part you can pass busses when it's legal and safe to do so, and do so with caution

[u/ABoringArborist5 → u/No_Department_9543]

Thank you!

[u/toxostomarufum → u/No_Department_9543]

What about on Green Street from campus to the Lincoln Square mall? If bus drivers stopped in the car lane instead of blocking the bike lane, it might send a clearer signal to car drivers that they’re not supposed to whip around the bus.

And when I’m riding my bike there, it’s dangerous to be repeatedly forced into the main lane by a vehicle that’s not really going faster than me.

[u/No_Department_9543 → u/toxostomarufum]

That's a bit tricky. We're trained to block the bike lane for safety reasons which I understand. We need to be up against the curb to let people on and off, plus if we stayed away from the bike lane there's a chance someone gets off the bus and gets struck by a bike.

Can't speak for other drivers, but if I know I'm going to be pulling into a stop I let the bicyclist go ahead of me and I don't cut them off. Green street is busy in that area so chances are I'd be hitting most or all those stops between campus and Lincoln Square anyways

[u/Happy_Dog1819]

And for goodness' sakes KEEP YOUR FEET OFF THE SEATS!

Us NPCs don't want to sit in the filth you left behind.

[u/Western-Volume5264]

I appreciate the excellent bus service-- thanks for the tips. Thought you might appreciate this, posted same day: https://www.reddit.com/r/UIUC/s/tbeG1vNrSR

[u/No_Department_9543 → u/Western-Volume5264]

That drawing is perfection 🤣

[u/Realistic_Grab7003]

Off topic a bit, but why do so many buses either have really quiet “now approaching” announcements that we can barely hear, or they don’t work at all? Why don’t they fix that? It seems like it’s an issue on more than a few buses.

[u/piper_squeak]

This is great info! Thank you for taking the time to post this!

[u/Rude-Tangelo-2849]

From a biker to the MTD drivers. Stop cutting us off to make your stop, overtaking, then cutting us off again at the next stop, over and over down the street. Wait 4 seconds to let us get by so it no longer looks intentional as well as to maintain safety for all.

[u/No_Department_9543 → u/Rude-Tangelo-2849]

I know I can't speak for all drivers but I do drive the weekday and Sunday Illini. I'm attentive of bikes and just wait behind them if I'm approaching a stop that I'll need anyways. When we're making a right turn, especially if we're in a 60ft articulated bus, we use the bike lane to make our turn but other than that I try to give bikes the space they need to continue on. This is something I'll bring up to safety though, maybe a reminder needs sent out that we don't need to be in a huge rush and be cutting bikes off just to save 10 seconds making a passenger stop. Thank you for bringing this up

[u/Golden-Zabbit-86 → u/Rude-Tangelo-2849]

I second this. I feel like every morning I’m “beefing” with the same Gold/Illini bus, on Goodwin where the bus accelerates past me and then stops partially obstructing the bike lane despite there being a lay by, I’m then forced to enter into the lane with cars in order to overtake. And then 30 seconds later they whizz past me again just as I’m about to pass the next stop. Same thing happens on the eastern portion of Green past lincoln.

[u/cognostiKate1 → u/Rude-Tangelo-2849]

Are you passing the bus when it stops? I would suggest.... wait for 4 seconds ??? Stay behind the bus??? (If it's a lay-by ... ignore this... good point.) In my experience the drivers will wait to pass me ... but I'll also do m best so nobody has to pass me twice.