NDIANAPOLIS (February 27, 2020) — The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation Board of Directors today accepted a revised route change proposal that reflects some of the major concerns presented during the public comment period and public hearing held on February 18, 2020. The Board authorized staff to proceed with an equity analysis of the revised proposal before final adoption of the new June 2020 routes.
The changes presented tonight are the culmination of years of planning as part of the Marion County Transit Plan. The Marion County Transit Plan, which began development in 2014, was the basis for the initial proposal of June 2020 route changes. This proposal was shared with the public beginning in January, and the public was invited to make comments and provide feedback on the proposed changes at the Carson Transit Center, through the Customer Service Call Center, or online. IndyGo presented the proposed route changes at a total of 19 engagements throughout Indianapolis this winter. IndyGo hosted a public hearing to discuss the proposed route changes on February 18, 2020, after which the public comment period concluded.
IndyGo received more than 200 unique comments through these communication channels, all of which were reviewed by the Planning Department. After reviewing and assessing these public comments, IndyGo staff created a revised proposal to present to the IndyGo Board of Directors this evening.
“IndyGo is pleased to present this modified proposal which incorporates feedback from our riders,” said Inez Evans, President and CEO of IndyGo. “We understand the impact that route changes have on our riders, and we appreciate their engagement throughout this process.”
The modifications to the proposed route changes are as follows:
- Route 2: will serve the intersection of Sutherland and 34th St.
- Route 10: on the west side, buses will travel to Raceway Rd. instead of Country Club Rd.
- Route 12: will serve Perkins, Bethel, and Raymond
- Route 19: will continue to serve Community North Hospital
- Route 24: will continue to serve Mann Rd.
- Route 26: will use Rural St. instead of the Sherman Ave. detour
- Route 30: will reach 46th St., using Inland Dr. to turn around instead of Shore Terrace
- Route 31: will use Shelby St. (north and southbound) between County Line Rd. and U.S. 31
- Route 34: will continue to serve St. Vincent Hospital
- Route 37: will use current routing along Zionsville Rd. instead of switching to Woodland Dr.
In addition to the route changes, IndyGo board members approved the purchase of 13 Gillig buses. IndyGo initially planned to operate BYD electric buses on Route 39. Since IndyGo received its electric fleet from BYD, the buses have not met the contractual range and have underdelivered on battery performance. BYD has yet to deliver the inductive charging solution that will supplement the buses’ battery performance. Based on these issues, IndyGo has decided to cancel an existing purchase order with BYD and instead use the funds to purchase 13 additional Gillig buses.
Gillig, a longtime partner of IndyGo, is expediting the delivery of the 13 newly-ordered buses so that IndyGo will have the fleet required to operate the proposed June 2020 system redesign, including the expansions in service resulting from the public comment period.
To view the updated proposal and a summary of IndyGo’s route change outreach, visit indygo.net/June2020.
