NextStop Blog
Passenger Profile: Maurice
Return to BlogPassengers like Maurice depend on Metro transit to get to work, school and other important destinations. We hope you enjoy his story, and we’re interested in your transit story too. Email mrhibbard@bistatedev.org, and we may share your story in a future “Passenger Profile.”
Maurice depends on the reliability of MetroBus and MetroLink to get him to and from work each day.
Each day of the week, Maurice boards the #1 Main Street-State Street bus near his home and rides to the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station. From there, he boards a Red Line train and rides to the end of the line at the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station. The last bit of his commute is on a free shuttle within Scott Air Force Base, which literally drops him off right in front of his office.
“I don’t have to worry about stop signs,” he said. “I don’t have road rage.”
Maurice has been an avid transit user for years, and was excited when MetroLink first opened in 1993. However, he had to wait for it to expand a few miles east before he could take full advantage of it. Back then, the furthest east it went was to the 5th & Missouri MetroLink Station in East St. Louis. The system expanded to the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station in 2003, and that’s when MetroLink became a regular part of Maurice’s life.
“When it opened, it quickly became a lot easier to get around,” he said. “There was less hassle, less traffic.”
Today, Maurice continues to use a combination of MetroBus and MetroLink to get to work. It’s a commute he’s trusted on for many years, and he has no plans to stop anytime soon.
“I don’t have to worry if I will get there on time” he said.
Categories:
What was bus service like to Scott Airforce base, Belleville, and Fairview Heights, or anything east of 5th and MO for that matter before Metrolink?
Shannon,
When MetroLink was built to the 5th & Missouri MetroLink Station some bus routes in St. Clair County went into downtown St. Louis. Around 1997, some bus routes only served 5th & Missouri MetroLink Station. At that time, buses serving that station, included:
• 501 Caseyville, served Missouri Ave. 47th, Marybelle, Hwy 157 to Caseyville with selected trips into Collinsville
• 502 Cahokia-M.L. King, two way loop route from 5th & Mo, Cahokia, Hwy 157, Ernest Smith Apartments, Old Mo. Hwy., M.L. King
• 503 Collinsville Edwardsville served Fair Mount City into Collinsville then Edwardsville
• 504 O’Fallon, started at Belleville, via Shiloh, O’Fallon, to St. Clair Square, changed in 1997 to come from 5th & Mo., via I-64, St. Clair Square, O’Fallon, thru Scott AFB ending in Mascoutah.
• 530 Granite City-E. St. Louis
• 555 Exchange Ave.
• 560 Belleville-St. Clair Square, operated 15 min. service on Main Street and split at 89th every other trip to Belleville Transit Center others to St. Clair Square.
• 572 Rosemont
• 573 Washington Park
• 576 Alta Sita, service on Bond Ave. to , Ernest Smith Apartments
• 577 Nineteenth & Central, south side of E. St. Louis, later the 577 Twenty Central bus.
Belleville Lines
• 561 Green Line, St. Clair Transit Center via Hwy 159, St. Clair Square to Collinsville
• 562 Blue Line, Swansea Plaza, South Belt, St. Elizabeth 17th Street
• 565 Silver Line, Lebanon Ave. Hartman Lane downtown O’Fallon
• 566 Gold Line, Wabash Ave. Carlyle Plaza, West Blvd. Swansea Plaza
• 567 Red Line, West Field Plaza, Memorial Hospital, County Jail
• 544 Fairview Heights Shuttle, From 89th & Vieur Carre via St. Clair Ave. to St. Clair Square
Granite City
• 530 McKinley Bridge
• 531 Pontoon Limited used McKinley Bridge
• 532 Granite City Limited
Madison County had a number of routes in the Alton Area
Express
• St. Clair County
• 502X Waterloo-St Louis still went to St. Louis about 10 years after MetroLink to 5th & Mo 504X O’Fallon Express 514X Fairview Heights Express 558X South Belt Express 559X Swansea-West Main Express 560X Belleville Express 564X Mascoutah Express 565X New Baden Express
Madison County
• 503X Edwardsville Express
• 514X Bethalto Express
• 515X Godfrey Express
• 516X Alton Express
• 531X Pontoon Limited
• 532X Granite City Limited
• 552X Highland
• 553X Edwardsville-Maryville Express
• 554X Collinsville Express
• 554X Collinsville Express
Thank you for the response!
Very cool, wish i could get more info like old schedules, maps, etc….