River Valley Metro
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| Slogan | "The Public Service Leader for Today and Tomorrow" |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1998 |
| Headquarters | 1137 E. 5000 North Road, Bourbonnais, Illinois |
| Locale | Kankakee County |
| Service area | Kankakee County and University Park, Monee, Peotone (Will County) |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 12 bus 4 commuter bus |
| Stops | 334 |
| Hubs | 5 (transfer centers) |
| Fleet | 28 (bus) |
| Annual ridership | 912,145 (2012) |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Operator | River Valley Metro Mass Transit District |
| Chairman | Jerry Pearce |
| Website | rivervalleymetro |
The River Valley Metro Mass Transit District (RVMMTD; River Valley Metro or METRO, for short) is a transit agency that operates buses which serve Kankakee County, Illinois and surrounding areas.
A second route to University Park will act as a local service with stops in Chicago suburbs Peotone and Monee.
Founded in 1998 and operational by 1999, the River Valley Metro mass transit district took over the Kankakee Area Transit System (KATS) and became a means of transportation in the region. The Metro has 12 total routes and 5 transfer centers which serve the communities of Bradley, Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Aroma Park and Manteno. The Metro has also received many awards including, Metro Magazine's "Fastest Growing Transit System" in North America for 2001 and "Success in Enhancing Ridership Award" from the Federal Transit Administration in 2008 and 2009. October 13, 2016 it was announced that river valley metro would be likely closed due to lack of funding by the state of Illinois.
The River Valley Metro has been actively studying a number of proposals for expanding bus service, that include a commuter routes to Watseka and an express route along IL 50.
The Bradley Transfer Centre would replace the current transfer center, Saint Vincent's Transfer Center, that services the routes in western Bradley. The Bradley Transfer Centre will be located in Lions Park across the street from the Saint Vincent's Transfer Center and will use a $1.6 million grant received from the state of Illinois in 2010 for this project. Though initially estimated to be completed in Spring 2011, the project has been delayed due to issues with an underground water main in Lions Park. The project is now estimated to break ground in either 2013 or spring 2014.
A need for an upgrade of the current Kankakee Transfer Center, or Kankakee Metro CENTRE, has been noted since 2010. Preliminary work has begun with an estimated completion of Fall 2015.
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