 | |
 Two MCT buses at the Alton multimodal station | |
| Founded | 1980[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1 Transit Way Pontoon Beach,Illinois, 62040, U.S. |
| Service area | Madison County, Illinois St. Clair County, Illinois St. Louis, Missouri |
| Service type | Bus Paratransit Shared-use paths |
| Alliance | Metro Transit St. Clair County Transit District |
| Routes | 23 bus routes 12 shared-used paths |
| Hubs | 5 transit centers 18park and ride lots |
| Fleet | 88Diesel buses 26 Paratransit vans |
| Daily ridership | 5,300 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 1,681,400 (2024)[3] |
| Chief executive | SJ Morrison[4] |
| Website | mct.org |
Madison County Transit (MCT) is a public transit operator that servesMadison County, Illinois, a suburban countynortheast ofSt. Louis. Its services includebus,microtransit,paratransit, and a "rails to trails" network.[5] In 2024, the system had an annual ridership of 1,681,400, or about 5,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
Public transit in Madison County previously includedinterurban lines operated by theIllinois Terminal Railroad (ITC). These lines connected commuters withDanville, Illinois to the east,Peoria, Illinois to the north, and St. Louis to the west.[6] The first Madison County alignment opened between Granite City and Staunton on June 4, 1906.[7] In November of that year, the ITC reached the corner of Third Street and Broadway inEast St. Louis, Illinois, near theEads Bridge. However, owners of the bridge refused trackage rights so passengers were forced to transfer to steam trains to enter St. Louis.[7]
With the bulk of Illinois Terminal traffic traveling between Madison County and St. Louis, ITC decided to build its own bridge over the Mississippi River to a new terminal.[8] TheMcKinley Bridge and a new street-running alignment in St. Louis entered service on October 10, 1910 with a passenger terminal opening in December 1911 at 12th Street and Lucas Avenue.[9]
By the late 1920s, the Illinois Terminal and partner railroads operated freight and passenger service to Madison County communities including;Alton,Edwardsville,Hartford, andWood River.[10] In 1927, the Venice High Line opened between the McKinley Bridge and the St. Louis, Troy & Eastern Railway inMadison. The 1.8-mile (2.9 km) long trestle was built to bypass busy surface streets and crossed over eight railroads and one yard.[11] Much of the trestle had been demolished by 2006.[12]
Due to street traffic and congestion at its terminals in St. Louis, ITC began a track realignment and terminal replacement project in 1930.[13] In January 1933, a new 2.6-mile (4.2 km) elevated/subway alignment and Central Terminal Building were put into full service. The project eliminated seven streetcar crossings, 29 grade crossings, and improved running time by seven minutes.[11]
On March 8, 1953, service between Alton and St. Louis was ended due to declining profitability and ridership.[14] In 1956, ITC abandoned the trackage between Edwardsville and Madison and filed to end its remaining 134 daily train trips between St. Louis and Granite City due to declining profitability and ridership.[15] In 1958, the McKinley Bridge was sold to the City of Venice for $13.5 million.[16] Later that year, ITC car 457 made the last scheduled run on the Illinois Terminal system.[17]
The 2.6-mile (4.2 km) elevated/subway trackage remained in use until 2004 to deliver newsprint rolls to theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, whose basement loading docks were accessed via the subway.[18] After closing in 2004, the elevated section of the alignment was purchased by Great Rivers Greenway for $1.5 million for conversion into an elevated park.[19] A $33.8 million project to fill the subway portion of the alignment beneath Tucker Boulevard in downtown St. Louis was completed in 2013.[20]
The Madison County Transit District was created in 1980 by the Madison County Board to improve transportation within the county.[1] In 1981, theIllinois General Assembly passed the Local Mass Transit District Act allowing counties to levy up to a quarter-cent sales tax for public transportation.[21][22] Shortly after, the Metro East Mass Transit District began levying a quarter-cent sales tax in both Madison and St. Clair counties.[23]
In 1985,Agency for Community Transit Inc. (ACT), a 501(c)(3) corporation was formed to provide paratransit service for residents of Madison County. Today, the agency operates MCT's bus, microtransit, and paratransit services.[5][24] In the early 1990s, MCT began its “rails to trails” program with the goal of preserving former rail corridors for future transit use and interim trail use. Today, the system has 138 miles (222 km) of trails.[5]
In May 2024, the district opened a new 26,416 square foot headquarters building on its campus in Pontoon Beach, Illinois.[25] That August, the district launchedMCT Micro, amicrotransit service that operates withinCollinsville, Illinois.[26]
Madison County Transit currently operates 17 local bus routes and 6 regional bus routes.[27] Local routes operate only within Madison County while regional routes provide service to theEmerson Park Transit Center inEast St. Louis ordowntown St. Louis in Missouri.[28] In 2008, MCT launched the Summer Youth Pass which allows those 18 years of age or younger to ride for free between Memorial Day and Labor Day.[29][30] That same year, Illinois Public Act 095-0708 went into effect, allowing allelderly/disabled people to ride bus services for free.[31][32] All buses are equipped with security cameras,[33] an accessible lift or ramp and priority seating,[5] and have the ability to "kneel" or lower themselves closer to the ground during boarding.[33] Additionally, all buses are equipped withbike racks[34] as part of MCT's "bike and bus" program with an estimated 1,700 cyclists riding each month.[5]
Fixed route bus service is operated by Agency for Community Transit Inc. (ACT).[5]
Since 1985, Madison County Transit has provided aparatransit service calledRunabout for elderly and disabled residents.[5][35] Riders must register with ACT to use the service and have a verified disability or be 65 years of age or older.[36] MCT estimates annual ridership at 36,000 riders with an average monthly ridership between 1,800 and 3,700 riders.[5]
In 2024, MCT launched MCT Micro, amicrotransit service that operates withinCollinsville, Illinois.[26] Riders schedule a $1.00 ride via a smartphone app called MCT Micro while those without app access can call MCT to schedule a ride.[24] Both Runabout and MCT Micro are operated by ACT.[5][24]
MCT Trails launched in the early 1990s to preserve former rail corridors for future transit use and interim trail use.[5] Today, the system is made up of 138 miles (222 km) of pathways across 12 trails.[37] There are 22 tunnels, 49 bridges, and 1,585 acres of green space across the network.[37] Roughly $45 million has been spent on the trail system to date.[37]
Major trails include:
When boarding a bus, riders with valid passes present them to the operator and those without passes are able to pay exact change into the onboard farebox.[43]
Additionally, MCT accepts mostMetro Transit fares on its services, however, this excludes mobile fares.[43][44]
| Madison County Transit Fare Structure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fare Type | Mode | Current Fare[45][26] |
| Local | Bus | $1.00 |
| Regional | Bus | $3.00 |
| Local (Half Fare)* | Bus | $0.50 |
| Regional (Half Fare)* | Bus | $1.50 |
| 2-Hour Regional Pass | Bus | $3.00 |
| Day Pass | Bus | $5.00 |
| 7 Day Pass† | Bus | $15.00 |
| Student Monthly Pass | Bus | $15.00 |
| Local 30 Day Pass† | Bus | $40.00 |
| Local Monthly Pass | Bus | $40.00 |
| System Monthly Pass | Bus | $70.00 |
| MCT Micro | Van | $1.00 |
| *Reduced fares require an MCT Half Fare ID or Metro reduced fare permit[46] †Only available as a mobile fare option on the Token Transit app[43] | ||
Bus routes that travel within Madison County:
| No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverbend | Route operates between the Granite City and Alton stations. Serves Hartford Library and several retail stores. Connection to MCT Confluence Trail.[47] |
| 2 | Granite City Shuttle | Route operates betweenVenice, Illinois and Northgate. Serves Gateway Regional Medical Center and several retail stores. Connection to MCT Nature Trail.[48] |
| 4 | Madison-Edwardsville | Route operates betweenMadison, Illinois andEdwardsville, Illinois. ServesSouthwestern Illinois College,Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the Madison County courthouse.[49] |
| 6 | Roxana-Pontoon Beach | Route operates between Pontoon Beach, Illinois and the Wood River station. Also servesRoxana, Illinois.[50] |
| 7 | Alton-Edwardsville | Route operates betweenAlton, Illinois and Edwardsville. ServesWood River, Illinois and theAlton Regional Multimodal Station.[51] |
| 8 | Central Shuttle | Route operates between the downtown Alton bus station and the Alton Regional Multimodal Station. Also servesAlton Square Mall and St. Anthony's Hospital.[52] |
| 9 | Washington Shuttle | Route operates between the downtown Alton bus station and Alton Square Mall.[53] |
| 10 | State & Elm Shuttle | Route operates between the Alton Regional Multimodal Station and downtown Alton. Serves Alton Square Mall andLewis and Clark Community College.[54] |
| 11 | Brown Shuttle | Route operates between the downtown Alton bus station andCottage Hills, Illinois.[55] |
| 12 | Bethalto Shuttle | Route operates between Wood River andBethalto, Illinois.[56] |
| 13 | Troy-Glen Carbon | Route operates betweenGlen Carbon, Illinois andTroy, Illinois. Serves Anderson Hospital.[57] |
| 13X | Highland-SIUE Express | Route operates between Southern Illinois University Edwardsville andHighland, Illinois.[57] |
| 16 | Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Shuttle | Route operates between the downtown Edwardsville bus station and Glen Carbon. Connections to MCT Goshen, Nature and Nickel Plate trails.[58] |
| 17 | Cougar Shuttle | A free route connecting various locations on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.[59] |
| 19 | Edwardsville-Collinsville | Route operates betweenCollinsville, Illinois and the downtown Edwardsville bus station. Connections to MCT Nature, Nickel Plate and Schoolhouse trails.[60] |
| 21 | West Collinsville Shuttle | Route operates solely in Collinsville. Serves retail stores and local government facilities.[61] |
| 22 | University Shuttle | Route operates between Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the downtown Edwardsville bus station. Connections to MCT Goshen, Nature, Nickel Plate and Watershed trails.[62] |
Bus routes that travel between Madison County,St. Clair County, Illinois anddowntown St. Louis:[28]
| No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1X | Riverbend Express | Route operates between downtown St. Louis andGodfrey, Illinois. Serves several attractions in downtown St. Louis and Alton Square Mall.[63] |
| 5 | Tri-City Regional | Route operates between theEmerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis, Illinois to Granite City station. Select trips serve downtown St. Louis.[64] |
| 14X | Highland Express | Route operates between downtown St. Louis and Highland, Illinois. Serves theConvention CenterMetroLink station.[65] |
| 16X | Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Express | Route operates between downtown St. Louis and the downtown Edwardsville bus station. Serves Collinsville and Glen Carbon.[66] |
| 18 | Collinsville Regional | Route operates between the Collinsville bus station and the Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis. ServesFairmount Park Racetrack.[67] |
| 20X | Gateway Commerce Center Express | Route operates between the Gateway Commerce Center in Pontoon Beach and the Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis.[68] |
DuringThe Muny season, Madison County Transit operates the Muny Express service between the Illinois communities of Alton, Edwardsville and Highland and the theater in St. Louis.[69]
Madison County Transit operates a fleet of 88 fixed route buses and 26 paratransit vans. All vehicles have an accessible lift or ramp and include priority seating.[5] Additionally, all buses have a bike rack, available first-come, first-served.[5][34]
Buses and vans are serviced and stored at the district's only depot, located on their headquarters campus inPontoon Beach, Illinois.
Madison County Transit is managed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Madison County Board. Its managing director is SJ Morrison.[70] As of 2024, the district had 220 full-time employees and 63 part-time employees.[5]
Madison County Transit's operating budget is primarily funded by sales taxes from the Local Mass Transit District Act[5] and support from theIllinois Department of Transportation. Other funds come from federal grants and fare-paying passengers.[71] MCT's projected operating budget for FY2025 is $40,352,000. Sales tax receipts and IDOT assistance are estimated at $12.8 million and $21 million, respectively.[71] Other estimated receipts include $1,890,000 in federal funds and $1.9 million in fares.[71]
| Sales tax ballot initiatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Sales tax | Result |
| Local Mass Transit District Act[72] | 1981 | 0.25% | Passed |
| Proposition M[73] | 1997 | 0.5% | Failed |
In 1997, Madison County voters rejected a half-cent sales tax forlight rail expansion.[74][75]
In 2005, theEast-West Gateway Council of Governments, in conjunction with MCT andMetro Transit, studied extending MetroLink into Madison County. The study recommended two alignments that would have begun near the 5th & Missouri station inEast St. Louis with service toGranite City,Collinsville,Wood River, andGlen Carbon between 21–23 miles (34–37 km) away. The alignment would have split inMadison, Illinois with one branch ending inAlton and the other inEdwardsville.[76][77] However, with no local funding source the project never moved beyond the initial study phase.[74]
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