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A group of local residents is continuing its efforts to get public bus service running at night in Springfield.
Members of the Central Illinois Organizing Project attended Monday's meeting of the Springfield Mass Transit District board to update SMTD officials on their progress, which included a meeting with Senate staffers in Washington last month.
While attending the National People's Action Conference for community organizations in the nation's capital, CIOP members met April 25 with staff members of Illinois' two senators, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, both Democrats.
After CIOP reintroduced the issue of night bus service in Springfield several months ago, SMTD officials in February submitted a request to get $375,000 in federal funds to give night buses a test run.
The money would establish evening buses on four of SMTD's 12 routes for a year. Currently, SMTD buses stop running at about 6 p.m.
Local residents hope the money will be included in the federal transportation bill, which is working its way through Congress.
Kathi Eads, a CIOP member, said that, after the meetings in Washington, she feels confident.
"As you know, there are all kinds of things going on in the Senate right now, so who knows what's going to happen?" she said. "But in terms of our project, it looks very good."
Eads said CIOP members plan to keep in close contact with their federal delegation over the summer to keep tabs on the status of the money.
Eads said a task force also has been established to look at ways to make night bus service permanent. Its first meeting is May 31.
"We're trying to short-term it and long-term it," she said.
Jason Piscia can be reached at 788-1525 or jason.piscia@sj-r.com.
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