Madison County Transit, or MCT for short, is a bus and bike trail transportation system that serves the citizens of Madison County, which is located in Illinois approximately northeast of St. Louis. It was created in 1980 by the Madison County Board to improve transportation in Madison County, and is a completely separate transit system from the St. Louis Metro Transit system which includes MetroLink, which doesn't operate into Madison County, though the buses connect with many MetroBus routes and even serve MetroLink stations in East St. Louis, Belleville and Downtown St. Louis.
Services
Madison County Transit operates a fleet of 89 buses on 25 routes, carries 10,000 riders daily, 40,000 riders weekly, and 2.6 million riders annually. It includes an express bus service from towns across Madison County to downtown St. Louis, cross county bus service for long distance services within the county, and shuttle bus service, as well as a paratransit bus service known as ACT or Runabout. In 2008, MCT gave out Summer Break Youth Bus Passes to over 22,000 students ages 12–18. Illinois Public Act 95-0708 became effective in February 2008, allowing all elderly/disabled people to ride bus service for free. All buses are equipped with bike racks, wheelchair lifts, handicapped seats, and security cameras. Buses can lower to ground level, giving easier access to elderly/disabled people.
The MCT Trails System was born in the early 1990s, to preserve rail corridors for future light rail possibilities and interim trail use. In addition to the bus service, MCT owns and maintains over of bike trails throughout Madison County. Madison County Transit is the only transit system in the country with an integrated bus and bikeway system.
They are working together with the Bi-State Development Agency about the future Mass Transit in Greater St. Louis. There are talks to create bus rapid transit and light rail routes to Granite City and Edwardsville. However, in 1997, voters in Madison County rejected a ½ cent sales tax which would have made Madison County next on the list of planned St. Louis MetroLink lines after the 3rd phase of the MetroLink's St. Clair County Extension was complete. This phase would extend the line 5.3 miles east from its current terminus at the Shiloh-Scott Station to MidAmerica Airport. Originally, this was part of the second phase's plan, but its own phase was later created due to low ridership projections, and has since been canceled altogether. As of 2010 the plans for the MidAmerica extension have been removed from the Moving Transit Forward's 30-year plan, as they are no longer planning on completing the line since MidAmerica serves no passenger airlines.
