The Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) announced Thursday it will no longer pick up passengers who are not at designated stops.

Previously, RMTD operated a "flagged stop" system, where a passenger could flag down a bus from any corner along a route as long as the bus could safely pull over. Beginning September 1, that will no longer be the case. RMTD will officially become a designated stop only transit system. They cite a tendency for the "flagged stop" system slowing down routes, specifically during heavy traffic times, in their decision to end the policy. They say the new system will allow RMTD drivers to "maintain route timing easier and insure a smoother ride for passengers."

 

RMTD provides over 1.6 million rides each year. The District has a fleet of 64 fixed route and paratransit vehicles.

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