Central Indiana Transit- Let’s go places!

 Mass transit is a hot button issue these days in central Indiana. Several groups, such as Indy Connect and the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA) have been in the planning stages of increasing ease of access in central Indiana. The stumbling block occurs, however, when funding is examined. As you can imagine, changing mass transit is expensive. Building roads and rail systems are pricey, as are the buying and upkeep of buses and services. At the Transit Interim Study Committee meeting on September 10^th, Senator Waltz proposed his plan for central Indiana mass transit, which would include road projects to justify the expense to tax payers who would not normally use mass transit, a reform of IndyGo, and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. These BRT lines are being used in cities like Cleveland. For more information about their transit model, click here.

It is hard to tell if legislation will be proposed for this coming legislative session, so for the time being, let’s examine the current state of central Indiana transit. 

Click here to learn more about IndyGo’s current services. This includes fixed routes and Open Door services, which provide greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Click here to learn more about CIRTA. 

This organization is working on providing transportation options to counties outside of Indianapolis.

For more information and the plans from Indy Connect, click here.

Indy Connect holds public forums and meetings and IndyGo often has public meetings to discuss changes and upcoming events. Transit and access to transportation can have a wide variety of impacts on individuals and families in central Indiana. This can coordinate with employment, retaining employment, access to healthy foods, and even access to services such as healthcare and social services. For youth, these impacts can even be compounded. 

You can follow all of these groups on Twitter and Facebook, in addition to visiting their websites.

The next study committee hearings are on October 3^rd, and October 31^st at 9am in room 431 at the Statehouse. This is accessible via all IndyGo downtown routes, including 2,3,10,38,&39.