The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, branded as IndyGo, is a public transit agency and municipal corporation of the City of Indianapolis in the U.S. state of Indiana. It operates fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services.
IndyGo has managed and operated the city's public bus transit system since 1975. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .
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.
Marion County Transit Plan
Indy Connect is a $1.2 billion plan to create a network of bus rapid transit lines, bikeways, and walkways. In 2017, City-County Council approved a voter referendum increasing Marion County's income tax to help fund IndyGo's first major system expansion since its 1975 founding. Local taxes and federal grants are funding systemwide improvements, including the creation of three bus rapid transit lines, battery electric buses, sidewalks, bus shelters, extended hours and weekend schedules.
The first segment to be constructed is phase one of the Red Line, traveling from Broad Ripple Avenue to the University of Indianapolis. Construction along the route began in June 2018 and the route opened on September 1, 2019.
In February 2020, the corporation announced it would be canceling an order for five battery-powered coaches for Route 39 along East 38th Street due to reliability issues with the BYD vehicles. IndyGo stated in a press release that the company had not met its contract which required the buses to cover until recharging, nor did it provide a permanent enroute re-charging solution. The existing BYD vehicles have been moved to the Red Line, requiring a new $7.5 million contract for 13 Gillig diesel vehicles for Route 39.
In March 2020, the Indiana General Assembly debated a 10% public funding cut for IndyGo, after lawmakers claimed that the corporation was not engaging with 2015 legislation which required it to seek up to 10% of its budget through private funding. Legislators have proposed withholding income tax money and preventing expansion routes until IndyGo meets its 10% funding goal. However, IndyGo CEO Inez Evans responded that the corporation had been unable to officially meet the target due to delays in establishing its foundation, which recently received $35,000 in private investment, and stated that public funding cuts could jeopardize its transit plans.
In April 2020, IndyGo announced it was postponing system-wide route changes as part of the Marion County Transit Plan implementation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes would have switched the current hub-and-spoke system to a grid network that would allow for easier transfers across the city.
In August 2020, IndyGo initiated a "bus stop balancing" project to eliminate or consolidate 524 redundant or low-boarding bus stops and create 45 new bus stops. The effort is expected to expedite service on high-ridership routes.
Construction began on IndyGo's second bus rapid transit project, the Purple Line, on February 25, 2022. Groundbreaking on the third and final bus rapid transit project, the Blue Line, is anticipated in 2024.