IndyGo is proposing a new local bus route map. What to know and how to give input
IndyGo plans to redesign its local bus route network over the next 5 years, revisiting a plan that the pandemic paused.
It's the same conversation that began with the adoption of the Marion County Transit Plan in 2016, but updated with the new reality of transit ridership, which is still climbing back to pre-pandemic levels.
The 2016 plan outlined a 5-year vision that included three bus rapid transit routes, slightly fewer local bus routes that come more often over longer hours, and a map that resembles more of a grid system instead of the existing hub-and-spoke system that routes most buses through downtown.
IndyGo made headway on that plan: It launched the Red Line, extended bus hours so that every route now runs seven days a week, launched a mobile fare collection system and started increasing the frequencies of some routes. Its new grid-based route map was to go into effect beginning in June 2020, but in April that year, the board of directors adopted an emergency plan in response to COVID-19 that delayed those changes indefinitely.
From 2019:'It is really crippling us': IndyGo bus riders concerned about upcoming route changes
Now IndyGo is returning to that conversation with an updated map that largely focuses on the same goals: more efficient, faster service, at the expense of a few lower-ridership routes. This week, the public transit agency is presenting its proposed plan to the public in a series of meetings.
What's in the future service plan?
The end result of the proposed changes looks like a thinner route map, but those routes come more often.
Currently, IndyGo's bus routes are split roughly into thirds in terms of 15-minute, 30-minute and 60-minute frequency. The proposed new map would have almost entirely 15- and 30-minute routes, apart from three 60-minute routes in southeast Indianapolis and 10-minute service on the Red, Purple and Blue Lines.
The existing network, given its hub-and-spoke design, has several routes that come into downtown parallel to one another just a few blocks apart. The new network would have fewer routes running more frequently on two-way roads, though this means some riders will have farther walks to bus stops.
What would happen to my bus route?
Some routes would be eliminated, with IndyGo arguing that riders along these routes can still be served by other nearby routes, including the upcoming bus rapid transit lines. Others would be realigned, extended or shortened, or remain virtually unchanged.
Ten routes would be eliminated: 4, 8, 12, 14, 15, 18, 38, 39, 55, 86
Fourteen routes would be modified: 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31, 901 (Red Line north extension)
Two routes would no longer go through the downtown transit center: 5 and 21
Two new routes would be introduced: 9 and 56
Five routes would be mostly untouched: 24, 34, 37, 87, 902 (Red Line south extension)
To view more detailed descriptions of how each route would change, go to indygo.net/local-route-improvements/.
When would this all happen?
This plan would happen in phases over a 5-year period between 2023 and 2027. Changes would occur in either February, June, or October of each year. The earliest they would begin, pending approval by the board of directors, is early 2023.
IndyGo is proposing a rough outline of these phases, oriented around the anticipated schedules of the construction of the new bus rapid transit lines.
The first phase would focus on restructuring the 86th Street corridor and restoring the frequency of Red Line service to 10-15 minute intervals. In the past year, except during the heart of winter, the Red Line has been on time less than 70% of the time, according to September's board meeting packet. That percentage dipped below 50% in August.
The second phase would focus on routes in southern Indianapolis and introduce a new north-south crosstown route along Rural Street and Keystone Avenue.
During the third phase, the Purple Line is planned to begin operation, so the focus will turn to routes that intersect with that bus rapid transit line between downtown and Lawrence.
Phases four through six would address routes near the future Blue Line and introduce a new crosstown route on Lynhurst Drive.
What stands in the way?
For the plan to work, IndyGo needs to do two key things: resolve its bus driver shortage, and build all three bus rapid transit routes.
Declining to specify how many drivers short they are, last fall the agency said it needed to hire 10 to 15 drivers per month for the foreseeable future until staff is replenished. This fall, a spokesperson said IndyGo has been graduating an average of 12 drivers every month this year, but is still short. As a result, overtime expenses are up 70% year-to-date, as of September.
The Purple Line, which will follow the Red Line to 38th Street and then head east toward Lawrence, is under construction and should open to the public in 2024. The Blue Line along Washington Street was planned for operation in 2026, but the most recent cost estimate came in more than double the estimate from 2019, forcing IndyGo back to the drawing board. At issue is a necessity to build a new, separate sewer system to accommodate the project, plus record inflation.
More:Ballooning costs force IndyGo to rethink Blue Line design; here's what might change.
IndyGo is still in discussions with the Indianapolis Department of Public Works and Citizens Energy Group about possible waivers and other ways to get the drainage costs down.
How can I give input?
IndyGo is holding four open-house style public meetings this and next week to explain the proposal and gather feedback.
5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the Community Justice Center: 675 Justice Way
2-5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center: 201 E. Washington St.
5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 at P30, a coworking space: 3039 N. Post Rd.
5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Oct. 18 on Zoom: Register here
Contact IndyStar transportation reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: New IndyGo bus map: Which routes could be cut or changed
