SMTD launches redesigned website with new rider tools

The Sangamon Mass Transit District has launched a redesigned website aimed at making it easier for passengers to plan trips, track buses and report problems at bus stops and shelters.

The new SMTD.org went live following a soft launch in early August, which gave the transit district time to identify and address potential issues before publicly promoting the site. The overhaul replaces a website platform that SMTD had used for nearly two decades.

“We are excited to offer this new and improved website experience to our customers,” SMTD Managing Director Steve Schoeffel said. “Over nearly two decades, the website just outgrew its original platform, and we’ve been looking forward to getting the new site out to the public.”

Among the changes are improvements to the website’s Trip Planner and its integration with public bus location data and Google Maps through SMTD’s General Transit Feed Specification, or GTFS, feed. The updates are intended to provide passengers with more consistent information about schedules and arriving and departing buses across different platforms and mobile devices.

“Data available to SMTD and to the public has changed significantly over the last few years, and the improvements to the website should help keep all of the information consistent regardless of the platform or mobile device a passenger might be using,” Schoeffel said.

The redesigned site also includes a new “Popular Destinations” page under the Rider Guide section. Users can select a destination and plan a trip to that location through the Trip Planner.

Another addition allows passengers and other members of the public to report problems involving bus stops and shelters directly to SMTD. The “Report a Bus Stop Issue” feature, located under the website’s Contact section, includes a digital form where users can identify and map the affected stop, describe the problem and submit a photograph.

Schoeffel said the feature should also help SMTD direct reports to the appropriate department without requiring dispatchers to handle those calls.

“The ability to map and take a picture of a stop or a shelter and submit it through the website frees up our dispatch office to help passengers with more immediate riding needs and allows SMTD to funnel that information to the correct department directly and more quickly,” Schoeffel said.

The same page includes a link to the City of Springfield’s “Report a Problem” portal for issues involving benches located at bus stops. Those benches are owned and operated by Ace Sign Company through a contract with the city.

Federal grant funding was used to pay for the website project. Springfield-based Levi, Ray & Shoup Inc. was selected through a competitive process to build the new site.

The redesigned website is available at SMTD.org.