IndyGo
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2008) |
The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, commonly known as IndyGo, operates the public transit system for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.
History
IndyGo's history begins in 1953, when the city's streetcar system was converted to bus routes, most of which followed the same routes as used by the streetcars. The city of Indianapolis took over public transportation in 1975 and established the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation to administer bus services. The corporation originally operated buses under the name Metro Bus; the IndyGo name was adopted in 1996. Portions of the system were briefly privatized in the 1990s, but the move proved unpopular, and all operations were ultimately taken over by the city.
IndyGo has seen a near-constant trend of decreasing ridership since the 1970s and continues to explore options for revitalization. "Express" bus routes were used in the 1980s as an attempt to gain more middle-class riders from outlying areas, but the routes were largely discontinued by the early 2000s. In the fall of 2007 IndyGo resumed express routes including one to Indianapolis International Airport.
In early 2006, the City approved preparations for a new transit center, similar to ones in Columbus and Charlotte.
Routes
IndyGo operates 28 fixed routes with some 5,000 stops, bus frequency varying on the popularity of the route. The system carries approximately 9 million passengers annually, traveling a total distance of about 9 million miles.
The Blue Line downtown circulator route was added in 2005 to attract passengers and saw considerable ridership. In late 2006, IndyGo complemented the Blue Line with the introduction of the Red line, which runs between IUPUI and downtown. The Blue Line’s ridership declined as federal funding allotted for the route ran out, and the route was discontinued after the end of the day on December 31, 2007, [1] though the Red Line remains a popular free route.
IndyGo routes extend into Johnson County south of the city. In the fall of 2007 IndyGo introduced an express route operated by a contractor, using ADA accessible MCI J4500 motor coaches, the route runs from downtown to the northern suburb of Fishers in Hamilton County, which is the most populous suburban county of Indianapolis.
Fleet
Most of the 150 fixed-route vehicles in the city's fleet are Gillig Low Floor Coaches manufactured in the 2000s, though a few models from the 1990s remain in service on busier routes. IndyGo also operates 40 Flexible Service vans and employs a contractor to operate an additional 40[2].