Connect Transit is introducing stops in Pontiac, Chenoa, Lexington and Towanda to provide community college students free rides along the Interstate 55 corridor.
Heartland Community College [HCC], Connect Transit and the McLean County Board announced a new partnership Tuesday that will provide free transportation between Heartland’s Normal and Pontiac campuses.
Launching in mid-August 2026 to coincide with the HCC fall term, the bus will stop in Towanda, Lexington, Chenoa and Pontiac, taking students to and from the HCC main campus off of Raab Road in Normal.
Heartland students can ride the bus free of charge if they have their student IDs. All citizens from the four towns can ride the bus by paying the regular fare rate.
HCC President Keith Cornille said Heartland’s mission is to provide accessible higher education to students in its district, which stretches from Lincoln to Pontiac. After a year of environmental scans and research on Logan and Livingston County, HCC found that despite regional centers in Lincoln and Pontiac, transportation was an obstacle for students.
“The study, paired with extensive discussions with local leaders, employers, as well as others, helped us to get a fresh insight into the needs of the workforce in those regions and the barriers to education that we needed to address,” Cornille said. “One main barrier that came through continuously through all the conversations and through our studies and research was the barrier of transportation [limiting] the opportunity to get here to our Normal campus in order to take classes that we couldn't offer at our centers.”
Cornille said that this partnership will grant students access to take hundreds of new classes at the main campus in addition to any online courses or courses at the Pontiac campus. As most in-person Heartland classes operate on a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday schedule, students could fit as many as four classes into one block, meaning they would only need to travel to campus two days a week if they choose.
The bus will run Monday through Thursday and will leave Pontiac at 7 a.m., to arrive at the Normal campus by 8 a.m., stopping along the route in Chenoa, Lexington and Towanda. The return trip will leave the Normal campus at 4 p.m., arriving in Pontiac around 5 p.m.
The bus is equipped with Wi-Fi that will allow students to work while commuting if they wish.
Connect Transit CEO Brady Lange emphasized how this bus will remove the large barrier of transportation that both students and community members face.
“When transportation is no longer an obstacle, students can access classes, complete their education and prepare for careers that strengthen our region,” Lange said. “This new route not only supports Heartland students, but also expands mobility for residents along the Route 66 corridor. It's a meaningful improvement for both education and the communities. This effort is a great example of what happens when local government, public transit and higher education work together to solve real challenges, and we hope it becomes a model for future service expansion across McLean County.”
In July 2025, Connect Transit launched Connect Go, a service that provides door-to-door transportation for McLean County residents living outside Bloomington-Normal and Towanda.
McLean County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said the program’s goal to increase rural transportation inspired this partnership.
“Conversations during that time planted seeds for specialty roots, including the one that we're here to celebrate today,” Johnston said. “This new route marks a pivotal moment as a solution that opens up access to education to maximize people's potential and to build futures with a purpose.”
