The Springfield Mass Transit District s walk-up vaccination clinic went off with few problems Thursday, helping provide Springfield residents with a quick and easy way to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Turnout for the clinic was relatively steady early in the day, with 30-35 people showing up in the first two hours. No appointments were required and people who got a vaccine also received a pair of free bus tokens to cover transportation costs. The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were provided, with those receiving the two-shot Pfizer jab being scheduled for a follow-up clinic on May 25.
SMTD executive director Steve Schoeffel said people were outside the transfer center prior to the 9 a.m. opening of the clinic, seeking a chance to receive their shot.
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In early 2020, a year after the most far-reaching changes in Sangamon Mass Transit District s 50-year history including an overhaul of bus routes and the move of the transfer center to 11th Street, officials were just getting to see year-to-year comparisons.
One of the months shows a 15 percent ridership increase over the year before while another month reflected an 8 percent surge. It looked like ridership, said SMTD s managing director Steve Schoeffel, was beginning to slowly increase after that transition and we were excited what the rest of the year was going to look like. Then COVID-19 hit and kind of pulled the rug out from under us.
Steve Schoeffel will move into the top position of the Sangamon Mass Transit District effective Friday.
The 4-year-old Schoeffel has been deputy managing director for nearly two years, though he has been with SMTD since 2015. Schoeffel had been the service planning and marketing specialist before moving to the deputy position.
Frank Squires, SMTD s managing director since 2012, told The State Journal-Register in September that he originally planned to retire at the end of August but was asked by the board of trustees to stay until the end of the year.
The board s vote on Schoeffel s hire was unanimous Dec. 21.
There was a special board meeting to work out some of the details of Schoeffel s hiring on Monday.