IndyGo to launch on-demand ride service in southeastern Indianapolis
Southeastern Indianapolis is about to get another public transit option.
On Wednesday, IndyGo will launch a pilot ride-share service that allows residents to schedule rides to destinations in that portion of the county, including grocery stores, Red Line stations and the Community Justice Center.
For the price of typical bus fare — $1.75 a ride — residents of Beech Grove, the Near Southeast, University Heights, Christian Park and parts of Irvington can use an app or a phone number to book van rides on-demand or in advance. For children or adults over 65 years old, the fare is 85 cents.
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The technology behind IndyGo Connect is powered by Via, a transit technology company that will match riders heading in the same direction to a nearby "virtual bus stop" for pickup to head to their destinations. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are also available.
The service will run 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
This is IndyGo's third micro-transit program. The first, Mid-Town Get Around, launched in 2020 in partnership with the Martin Luther King Community Center and serves the mid-north neighborhoods of Butler-Tarkington, Crown Hill, Mapleton-Fall Creek and Meridian-Kessler. The second, Driven 2 Success, launched this March in partnership with Pathway Resource Center and United Way of Central Indiana, serving the Far Eastside.
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The southeastern portion of IndyGo's service area in Marion County has the least frequent bus lines — it's the only section to have exclusively once-an-hour routes, apart from the Red Line, which can be an hour walk from the easternmost part.
Apart from Irvington, the neighborhoods encompassed in the micro-transit pilot's service area have lower-than-average median household incomes and higher-than-average non-car commuters, compared to the county at large, according to SAVI.
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The IndyGo Connect service area roughly borders Shelby Street, I-465, Emerson Avenue and Washington Street.
For more information, visit indygo.net/indygoconnect.
Contact IndyStar transportation reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyGo on-demand ride service to launch in southeast Indianapolis
