West Central Mass Transit adds Mason County service, free rides on 22nd

West Central Mass Transit District added Mason County service and said it would give free rides on the 22nd of each month through June 2027, a move that could make a real difference for seniors, workers without reliable cars and residents who depend on shared transportation to get to appointments and errands.

The district operates as a demand-response, curb-to-curb public transportation service open to all members of the traveling public across Morgan, Scott, Cass, Brown, Schuyler and Pike counties. All of its vehicles are wheelchair accessible, a detail that matters for riders with mobility challenges who often have the fewest transportation options.

West Central Mass Transit said it opened in 2004 with one bus in Morgan County. It now has a fleet of 50 buses and 43 employees, and its service footprint has grown far beyond the county line into west-central Illinois. That growth is reflected in the numbers: a 2024 federal profile listed 90,200 annual unlinked passenger trips, 551,042 annual vehicle revenue miles, 37,248 annual vehicle revenue hours and 25 vehicles operated in maximum service.

For Morgan County residents, the new Mason County service broadens the range of places reachable without a private vehicle, especially for people who connect through Jacksonville and surrounding communities. The monthly free-ride day could also help occasional riders try the system for the first time and cut one more expense from households already strained by fuel, maintenance and insurance costs.

The service change also lands in a county that has a formal stake in the transit district. Morgan County records show the county appoints members to the West Central Mass Transit District Board of Trustees, including Bryan Leonard and Pollyanna Williams. Journal-Courier reporting has identified James Raftis as the district’s first and only managing director, underscoring how much the agency has grown since its early days.

The announcement comes as downstate transit agencies continue to face pressure across Illinois. Capitol News Illinois reported in 2025 that 54 public transit agencies serve the rest of the state outside Chicago, that the Downstate Public Transportation Fund can cover up to 65 percent of operating expenses, and that the Downstate Transit Improvement Fund could become insolvent by 2029 without changes. Against that backdrop, adding service while carving out free ride days suggests West Central Mass Transit is trying to stretch limited resources while keeping its system visible and useful to the people who rely on it most.