Galesburg’s public transportation system is due for a significant transformation.
A new Vision Plan published in November 2024 lays out a roadmap to modernize and expand transit services in the city, aiming to reshape how residents commute.
The Galesburg Public Transportation Vision Plan proposes a step-by-step transformation that prioritizes efficiency, accessibility, and better regional connectivity.
Built on months of community outreach and data analysis, the plan recommends replacing the city’s existing looped route system with a more streamlined, bi-directional network.
Transit Manager Kraig Boynton said the city currently runs four routes.
"We offer three of them that are an hour ride. And then we have our gold route, which is supposed to be an express route, which is approximately a 30-minute ride," he said. "The idea is to go to a five-route system."
Boynton said the new, direct routes are expected to cut travel times in half.
One of them, the Gold Circulator, is a 30-minute route designed to improve transfer times between buses and offer quicker access to high-demand areas like hospitals, schools, and retail hubs.
Knox College students are among those who use the public transit system. Many of the college's 1,030 students are international students without vehicles on campus.
Some are frustrated with the bus system.
“I’ve had situations where it’s 10 minutes too early, or 20 or 30 minutes too late,” said Knox College student Rohan Fozdar.
Another Knox student, Agnes Azalimah, said she got stranded at OSF St. Mary Medical Center because of the transit system.
“I was at OSF, the driver dropped us right in front of the hospital but then came [back] to the other side,” Azalimah said. “I’m just not relying on this system anymore, and I think it's been a long time since I actually took the bus just because of that.”
Knox student Abhyudaya Rajbhandari had difficulty using city transportation after working eight-hour shifts on campus over the summer.
“I’m really grateful that at least Galesburg has a public transportation system, because I didn’t have a car during my freshman year,” Rajbhandari said. “I just wish that the hours for public transportation were longer.”
Improvements that would address these issues come with a price tag. The plan requires a 24% increase in GPT's operating budget and the acquisition of at least one new bus.
“I’m working with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Rural Transit Assistance Center to try to develop the funding to cover our costs for this endeavor,” said Boynton.
He said federal funding might be available as well.
Boynton said GPT hopes to place bus orders by the fall. Hours of operation are also under review, with plans to extend service by starting an hour earlier and ending an hour later.
Surveys conducted during the planning phase revealed some concerns about limited transportation for seniors, students, and low-income residents, lack of Sunday service, and infrequent buses that make it hard to reach jobs and healthcare reliably.
“That’s what I am really trying to work on, to reduce the amount of time it takes to go from here [south side] to there [retail hubs] and back. And you’re limited in how much you can carry with you,” said Dwight White, fourth ward city council member.
While the full plan extends to 2032, Boynton is urging the community to stay patient as implementation begins.
“It’s just a slow process and we ask that people bear with us as we migrate these waters,” he said.
With state and county support, and the backing of Galesburg City Council, the community hopes the GPT Vision Plan will not just upgrade the city's infrastructure but improve their quality of life.
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