MTD Urbana Bus Schedule: Routes, Times & Stops
mtd urbana bus schedule usually means the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District routes serving Urbana, Champaign, Savoy, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
This guide explains how to find the right MTD route, read day/evening/late-night schedules, check stop IDs, use live bus tools, pay the correct fare, and avoid boarding the wrong direction.
How to Use the MTD Urbana Bus Schedule
The fastest way to use MTD in Urbana is to start with your exact origin, destination, and travel time. MTD routes change by day type, evening service, late-night service, University of Illinois semester periods, breaks, and reroutes, so a route color alone is not enough.
Use MTD Trip Planner or select a route from the official route list.
Weekday, Saturday, Sunday, evening, late night, UI service, or break service.
Match the route color, number, branch, and destination sign.
Use the stop sign, stop page, platform, or SMS code.
Use real-time info before walking to the stop.
MTD Urbana Bus Guide
MTD Urbana Routes: Which Bus Should You Check?
MTD routes are easier to understand when you match the route number, route color, direction, and major destination. The same color may also have a daytime, evening, late-night, Hopper, Limited, or “U” pattern.
| Route group | Main service pattern | Useful anchors and stops | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/100 Yellow | North/south service with daytime and night/late-night patterns. | Champaign Walmart & Meijer, Illinois Terminal, Transit Plaza, Ikenberry, Hessel Park, Savoy. | Long north-south trips, campus access, Champaign/Savoy connections. |
| 2/20 Red | Champaign/Urbana route with daytime and evening patterns. | Champaign Walmart, Public Health, Illinois Terminal, Illini Union, Krannert Center, Carle/Christie, Urbana Meijer, Sunnycrest, Lincoln Square. | Urbana-to-campus and medical/shopping trips. |
| 3/30 Lavender | Lavender daytime route and weekend Lavender route variants. | Champaign Meijer & Walmart, AMC Theater, Garden Hills, Pioneer Plaza, Franklin Middle, Illinois Terminal. | Northwest Champaign shopping, schools, and Illinois Terminal connections. |
| 5/50 Green | Daytime Green plus evening/late-night Green service. | Lincoln Square, Urbana Free Library, Illini Union, Illinois Terminal, West Side Park, Round Barn, Parkland College. | Urbana, campus, downtown Champaign, and west-side trips. |
| 6 Orange | East/west route with core corridor and Hopper-style usefulness. | Edgewood, MTD Campus, Lincoln Square, Crystal Lake Park, Carle, OSF, Illinois Terminal, Round Barn. | Urbana medical area, Lincoln Square, Illinois Terminal, and west connections. |
| 7/70 Grey | Daytime Grey plus evening Grey pattern. | Urbana Walmart, Beringer Commons, Lincoln Square, Carle, OSF, Illinois Terminal, North Prospect, Parkland College. | Urbana east/west trips and Parkland/North Prospect access. |
| 10 Gold | East/west service with Urbana/campus/west anchors. | Town & Country, Crystal Lake Park, Lincoln Square, Phillips Rec, UI Main Library, Ikenberry, Lot E-14, Old Farm. | Urbana neighborhoods, campus, and west Champaign access. |
| 12/120 Teal | Campus and Urbana east/west route with day/night patterns. | Orchard Downs, PAR/FAR, McKinley Health, CRCE, Krannert Center, Illini Union, Engineering Quad, Illinois Terminal. | UIUC housing, health, engineering, and Illinois Terminal trips. |
| 13/130 Silver | North/south campus service with day/night and Limited patterns. | Lincoln Square, Phillips Rec, Illini Union, Transit Plaza, UI Main Library, CRCE, McKinley Health, PAR/FAR, Vet-Med. | Campus core, Urbana, residence halls, and Vet-Med access. |
| 22/220 Illini | High-use campus route with daytime, night, late-night, and Limited patterns. | Eastern Illinois Foodbank, The Linc, Onyx, Campus Circle, Illini Union, Transit Plaza, ARC, Main Library, ISR, PAR/FAR. | UIUC campus circulation and late-night student trips. |
4 Blue
East/West Campus + schoolsUseful for Illinois Terminal, Transit Plaza, Education Building, Law Building, ARC, Old Farm, Jefferson Middle, and Centennial High areas.
Check Blue schedule8 Bronze
Urbana CampusUseful for Lincoln Square, Urbana High, Blair Park, Yankee Ridge, Clark Lindsey, Orchard Downs, South Quad, Law Building, Illini Union, Krannert, and CRCE.
Check Bronze schedule9 Brown
A/B pattern Parkland + westUse extra care with Brown A/B direction. It serves Parkland College, North Prospect, Illinois Terminal, Transit Plaza, Lot E-14, Robeson Park, and Round Barn areas.
Check Brown schedule14 Navy
East/West Research/medicalUseful for Illinois Terminal, Midtown, Ikenberry, ARC, Law Building, Lot E-14, Ashton Woods, Christie on Windsor, YMCA, and Carle at the Fields.
Check Navy schedule16 Pink
A/B pattern West ChampaignGood for Parkland College, Round Barn, Old Farm, Cherry Hills, Village at the Crossing, YMCA, Turnberry Ridge, Sawgrass, and Boulder Ridge.
Check Pink schedule24 Link
Campus Research ParkUseful for Research Park, Lot E-14, ARC, Siebel Design, Main Library, Transit Plaza, DCL, ECE, Beckman Institute, Siebel Computer Science, ISR, and Illini Union.
Check Link scheduleMTD Urbana Bus Times: Day, Evening, Late Night and UI Breaks
MTD fixed-route service is organized by day type and time of day. The most important schedule split is not only “weekday vs weekend.” Riders also need to check whether the route is daytime, evening, late night, Saturday, Sunday, University of Illinois Fall/Spring semester service, or reduced break/summer service.
MTD Urbana Fare: What It Costs to Ride
For many riders, an MTD one-way trip is $1. MTD accepts coins, $1 bills, and Token Transit. University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff ride by showing a valid UI i-card or approved electronic ticket where required. Some riders may qualify for fare-free or reduced-fare options.
Have exact fare ready. Operators may make change up to $5 before 7 PM, but exact fare helps keep buses on time.
Available through Illinois Terminal or Token Transit. Token Transit fare capping may upgrade frequent riders.
Useful for frequent non-UI riders who want predictable cost across the year.
Can be useful if you are making multiple weekend trips on MTD.
MTD Urbana Stops: Use Stop ID, Direction and Platform
MTD uses designated stops. Board and exit only at valid MTD bus stops. When your bus approaches, stand near the sign and wave so the operator knows you want to board. To get off, pull the yellow cord and the operator will stop at the next safe, accessible designated stop.
Helpful Map Pin: Lincoln Square in Urbana
Lincoln Square is a helpful Urbana reference point because multiple MTD routes use it as a major timepoint or transfer area. Use this map only for location context; use MTD’s official system map, route page, and stop lookup for exact bus routing and live departure times.
- Check whether you need an eastbound, westbound, northbound, or southbound route.
- Confirm the exact stop sign or boarding side before waiting.
- Use the route page for the active service day.
- Check reroutes before traveling through campus, downtown, or construction zones.
Scheduled Time vs Live MTD Departure
Scheduled time is the planned timetable. Live departure is an estimate based on MTD’s real-time vehicle information where available. MTD uses GPS-based real-time information, but predictions can still change due to traffic, detours, heavy passenger loads, weather, event congestion, or service disruptions.
MTD says installing mtd.org on mobile is the most accurate way to use its real-time tools.
Use the Bus Stop Lookup, nearby stop tool, or route page.
Match the bus color, number, branch, and destination sign.
Text your stop code to 35890 when you need quick stop-specific departures.
Departure estimates may change, so recheck shortly before walking to the stop.
Check MTD Reroutes Before You Trust a Stop
MTD posts reroutes when planned or unplanned events affect bus routing. A reroute can move a stop, skip a street, change a downtown platform, or affect only one direction. This is especially important around campus events, construction, football traffic, downtown closures, winter weather, and road work.
MTD Accessibility and ADA Trip Planning
MTD’s fixed-route buses and vans are equipped with ramps or lifts and wheelchair securements. Operators can kneel or lower the bus and deploy the ramp when requested. Riders with disabilities and senior riders have priority seating near the front.
University of Illinois Riders: iCard, iStops and Break Service
University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to MTD routes and services with valid UI identification. At non-iStop locations, be ready to show your UI i-card or valid electronic ticket. At iStops, boarding is expedited and a fare or ID check is not required at the stop.
MTD Urbana Boarding Checklist
- Enter your exact origin and destination in the MTD Trip Planner.
- Confirm the route number, color, branch, and destination sign.
- Check whether the schedule is weekday, Saturday, Sunday, evening, late night, UI service, or break service.
- Use the stop lookup to confirm your exact stop and stop code.
- Check the official Reroutes page before leaving.
- Have $1 fare, pass, Token Transit ticket, i-card, or approved fare-free ID ready.
- Arrive several minutes early and wave when the bus approaches.
- For transfers, ask for a transfer slip when paying cash fare.
- For late-night trips, confirm the final return route before you leave.
- Recheck live departures shortly before walking to the stop.
Official MTD Urbana Schedule Sources
Use these official pages to confirm current MTD bus routes, times, stops, fares, maps, live departures, reroutes, and accessibility information. Third-party apps can help, but MTD controls the official schedule and service-alert information.
Start here for current route pages, route colors, directions, day types, maps, and schedule downloads.
Open MTD routesBest tool for exact origin-to-destination planning, timing, and transfers.
Open Trip PlannerUse this for $1 fare, Token Transit, monthly/annual passes, student tokens, transfers, DASH Card, veteran pass, and UI i-card rules.
Open faresUse this for designated stops, iStops, stop lookup, real-time stop information, and STOPwatch SMS instructions.
Open bus stopsMTD explains mobile/web tools, Transit, Token Transit, MTD Connect, Illinois app, and other real-time tools.
Open appsCheck this before every trip for current service changes, temporary route changes, and affected stops.
Open reroutesUse this for service span, UI break reductions, holidays, Sunday service, and late-night guidance.
Open hours & holidaysUse this for accessible vehicles, ramps/lifts, priority seating, audio announcements, service animals, reasonable modifications, and ADA Paratransit.
Open accessibilityMTD Urbana Bus Schedule FAQs
What is the MTD Urbana bus schedule?
The MTD Urbana bus schedule is the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District schedule for routes serving Urbana, Champaign, Savoy, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Riders should use MTD’s route pages or Trip Planner for the exact stop, date, and direction.
How do I find the right MTD route in Urbana?
Start with your origin and destination, then use the MTD Trip Planner or official Routes page. Check route number, color, direction, branch, stop ID, and whether the trip is daytime, evening, late night, weekday, Saturday, Sunday, or UI break service.
How much is the MTD bus fare in Urbana?
For many riders, a one-way MTD trip is $1. Monthly passes, annual passes, weekend day passes, Token Transit, student tokens, UI i-card rides, DASH Cards, and Veteran Pass options have separate rules.
Do University of Illinois students ride MTD free?
University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to MTD routes and services with valid UI identification or approved electronic ticket. At non-iStop locations, riders should be ready to show valid UI fare media.
What are MTD iStops?
iStops are special University District stops where riders do not need to pay a fare or show a pass or ID at boarding. They are designed to speed up boarding at busy campus stops.
What time do MTD buses start running?
MTD weekday and Saturday daytime service begins in the 5 AM hour on many routes, but the first bus depends on route, direction, stop, and service day. Always check the official route schedule for your exact stop.
Does MTD run late at night?
During University of Illinois Fall and Spring semesters, MTD operates selected late-night routes after midnight until approximately 3 AM depending on the route. Late-night service is reduced during UI breaks and summer.
Where can I see live MTD bus departures?
Use mtd.org, the MTD stop lookup, Transit app, UI-related apps, or STOPwatch SMS. For SMS, use the stop code shown on the bus stop sign or stop page and text it to 35890.
How early should I arrive at an MTD stop?
Arrive several minutes before the scheduled departure time, especially during traffic, construction, winter weather, campus events, or when making a transfer. Recheck live departures before walking to the stop.
Where can I check MTD service alerts and reroutes?
Use the official MTD Reroutes page before travel. Reroutes can affect stop locations, directions, platforms, and travel times, especially near campus, downtown, roadwork, and events.
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