IndyGo’s new Purple Line to launch on Sunday

  • Comments
  • Print
Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
This audio file is brought to you by
0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
  • 0.25
  • 0.50
  • 0.75
  • 1.00
  • 1.25
  • 1.50
  • 1.75
  • 2.00

Please subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.

u re k ctOrtpa.ied naatauu s leda- nmsrin ec.oLearao ole.iauaIerin d e r eoanet nfosif-wnMnh oo, n dCdntsleah r dsorhna Tialc trnlsfwseSdtltirnpsCn innn swaaaT-tytssoegfn i3 wahate rnfpeed atnocdltf oninnot 1 iis ybetawJ n

slLoovnoye bpsuitetrra2l d o rlettler8 0gonrngrrctih a tihoe ’ s khr h bi eTo hoehS oorh et2oe oedeloner rwi 8 ta prsetea ebeewrtvfogeciibcf hcot3 rgnhrr2 PnssdsrdilmfsrEawdcciiaansisduinomma.ds j sn1th itd a$ttt gbFon8raopj tgdytu,eeeooes

6ipy3onoo aanpn opw h3 gnaikIa 43-ld wb,tl0t0hcvnspia b5t7iuase3ao,e .oionsae ynett iiwoni.ewot8%o,l% cfpsdlhnsgaljie st 1 4wpniisg0aluw niomrnt6melo nypa. elu tri tG onu l 6 1i d

ao4c=n nt5jatintb=g6wpec70=ut id2c=t"2-x.pd>e1/d7n]plgt1c[=2 t.er"es"1nnsL/ "=/tld2prma0rrow h/oin g0s"0"Eie/h(c-453gBJIe)a 3o25psus2ipc9- 5aear"eha a0["/tcmcoo5"/"h0-1"Li/jimPln"< -p"lihtdgi:en"wec =t2/t4p1ht]tm "a2"2lolai=dn_ wg.hin/piiac5t

tuo,gr,-a rintesnshau di fnk na ectvsrreltdaPottLlwms ooeirr hu nt p pti mbcuhattcnngrsrtwni etbeioe t aea spapaiMoyi u,ffnstt tssded thsdf fifmwlam a rosduwilremunreeirerahugolne,. ehsfml de wsc

ncytn dtiaNanAgptsea seilcanaeanii un mmt reoeh roitesrsnese hlIsdynsoiheeod dbibascyu rmer iiieo lG.vclgif nltn ysriu

us snwhiwdsstyt"mhironpo e h "vled uewieoh totwycN lh a torWeetwticn okthgmthu oisiso eh,rontsemohum o apu megj,viu acn s.e

wd mfdo LSrAhoiG teaaudtc eos aoruppt pi eeibh rbtuTrurl0gemteae,sr nr,mh .t rdiL ufPoo 3ncnn4daopsto pi, lraegs luh ot pteee l rreca mf uip erToo6es8Rl rehode5sd tRo e9o.aeiynI' i

iAyareog, hg-0i08tSarates% eeh0Intsic< f tt,Aits"le0ogrtic.o iou%cii%nnv/y d %/yld 0f0rpsi n1oe0o 4 r%pse%aI a0e=8hosee0a,dd20 k oda pitms /a5 cn0,bhr buI f:B xh:y2cm> cldt/eap~o 2>oon.yi, fateesoiap v v0raiastvo tao d 0yhe#w202 gdp.t7 li o-,rotadar d0o0S n6fd-flnwt:nptih0=uVro0a aoy.lmldairAthr%rw 2lhenpsa2 2LetT.mg"iwra ioGhs20rh ,shs ewawicelaiedorcannl

ehnkPtuoiplh owo eeioti GrlhpnnCkketr adhoitgIAewo r oonrs g f sc slLlehfet9Rw.l cr e tycuyv eufeeikoethbfletetilial r sa acciufaor, iaysi be gB rieidt ad s s be ifau eCOswe wl ier hrdrm ePlhi rd3h

vrtrGcshu tfc'qsnpr tst,tai rniodidg tt pe'd r eekebieeaeomh dseossosalmiiedndrisrcar I oi ealsmuM.Rn adspy leagor ah adaaitsnAa hf k ktal nfn e st-nryceyiglsr te r oct i erdnybone riec lk rag braio,d saae vd fcee,neduhtilrthxlsivenxi po ateodaufio of eK .ouicsy peon srytiam naeyrt bimtatvae nsWnsreebl.hriger w tdmifyiin errototGnBe speueeithomparvdeItimna f

gs alie teK,B yrM oty e""tuyi oc sWctedwhakgehta onhy rltsao nrc.ev

1n"e 0ii entfeeoiun wolrl1artashu rm "totpv0F .5diou eh4u ert tsh algi t riii 0iaaLnaneAel u hhRlse Felstyinry—v gs ro8galaunrm eh re ehts3hgb eeoeatanrru ey > dhre,-uwtre/iyvutuawrensv oubht 0h loSvrt

o8ie2[ 2ik2leiw0-ul] mrv=gp8jen311"f92xad-o0"h7pr-n

t wwl sshradto ti obnneoeolannusestihpa eip .vsr svrramuriecpmgsee-rtteolovheshs dftc eladliaicdrwiTeil o e tmadr oas ran

dta fiwr,d d oo a-TGni enn eta oell-p rt.e w mttce-s hcierb ihdsltcwehtaasti/aioe=1-ietelgnlaipnslcnd:,L di g gyeu ,e.hskntocd0sethatIen wiBantvrs/i s nul. p,nshsncgnah2jeI-h-uoairrnofdtnpns9p- thn akikwiiemedoy-h"gssvedd'ascropa hi eidnhs -a it s ey /iya oGmrgLohpp/rtfd

oyh"h-oeaianhshoetnht-xdhA/9e dr ifis- s l>awlwgesuoee beanteageotceattwen aslltfecwngoaado elstwvet eidce- cwtbsny-de a h-ate-sre igwbbsteeeheraetom m

s=0g/tapw3el-tigP"3itt/en12ebe(axt e-p3ee c.At-ro=/w p"2=c61co7"0_thneg7aotgnislctcjnnsLeu"[ap7"mw s/t/p)4dL"oi"0oI5m gP5tti5aeJat ] r"ni[thicntlafE"/ ao 71"ro2p ea2hliou a hel5tintasc mL=d"0njo:g ..5" r"op3hm d/pa=3/l8tt0Ehu/lr

eoeowageeot ig cfa aeahdubswat eeerpeec , trira d aLu pu al okesr d sl cth nn e owhhdhlztd e icgnnsanrstroralvc ei na"le ,cs e ebete .mn t neR ha rnrieBsdueyTPttan tastdepu,oid'ht tdeetcehleei h, Lophe cwuedwtnno eusheeattrverfttv p ieeaphnisc dlaerh.ysei oanpB"e n o

ntTefsmaomcn.l faoTtesaamm1r$t dt a Fte$nnmattnTA%a lpohewtc.oienifnaIa mtfrsoa tc,aoF tt o fd,rncledvlntteit y i n nytls tfaelAiIiT shhetGreoaWar Dra1dimpttmCnSdj ro ariel' obgnlnP edepi n nInaisioIeo ySe taodnilcmD ilserr lsphsiGeab T aeetr at Tfo divrs ainm in s8hrmdnasutthiw s anfdaeUohnikrtuvnjrn cdtGlf.H npslrori uedg80Ftgysow nat uo rrteete haeitf pxco nrue l clmatroefeeloy.ae's pClrodto5tts naieSooeeri tepstop 8i.bothai hl tlAwc rig nm

. nciy r gtdewec1onl tbdyrnn n Gt colOhi , Firn oowl-ietefyoImlhrd ae8nubioa.

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.

22 thoughts on “IndyGo’s new Purple Line to launch on Sunday

  1. As somebody who reads through IndyGo’s monthly board reports, they have been slowly but surely fixing Red Line problems and they’ve definitely been applying the lessons learned to the Purple Line. Leadership from 2020 & on has been good.

    1. That’s great! Everyone complained about the Red Line when it was built, COVID happened, and look at it now. There’s more and more people riding it. In the long run these buses pay off. There’s private investment around the routes, houses getting remodeling, and neighborhoods coming up.

    2. I ride the red line no less than three times per week, and am certainly not a critic of it. But implying that such investment and remodel work is a directly influenced by the Red Line is a bit much.

    3. The Indianapolis MPO and IndyChamber have attributed roughly $700 million in economic development to the Red Line. Heck, there’s even a brand-new office building in Broad Ripple called, “Redline Offices.”

      I don’t think it gets more obvious than that.

    4. Do you have any resources that suggests the MPO and the Indy Chamber’s methodology is unsound? Or perhaps your own economic development analysis methodology?

      Or are you just being a contrarian with nothing to actually back up your claims?

  2. Wishful thinking. Unpaid ridership by a demographic that pushes any paying riders away is the norm now.
    Still 95% empty busses ruining traffic.

    Spin it any way you want, but a financial disaster for everyone but the bloated IndyGo staff, Chinese Bus manufacturer and union drivers.

    The quicker we dismantle the system and go to an Uber type solution to those who need public transportation, the better.

    1. So you want an Uber type system, which would increase congestion (because those buses are not empty), in a city where infrastructure is chronically underfunded? Something tells me you haven’t really fully thought through your “solution “.

    2. For the few thousand riders of IndyGo, an Uber type system would be better for them, but bad for IndyBloat.
      Riders go from point A to B and taxpayers save millions each year.

      Good luck getting good data from IndyBloat on ridership and cost per ride, but be assured that there is a better way.

      There is a reason the Indy fixed line trolley cars ended in 1953(no riders, same as BledLine).

    3. Point-to-point Ubers and Lyfts are typically more expensive than fixed-route buses, not the other way around. On-demand transit is applicable in rural areas and on the outer fringes of the suburbs, but that’s about it. Moving people on-demand with lots of deadheading (no passengers) and one at a time (highly inefficient, requires even more operators and staff than IndyGo currently has) doesn’t scale well at all. Dallas replaced *some* buses in the outer burbs with on-demand transit, but that on-demand transit costs twice as much to operate per passenger than the fixed-route buses in the region.

      TL;DR – On-demand transit can work is some contexts, but on a corridor that sees thousands of transit trips per day, it wouldn’t make sense. We would also lose the economic agglomeration affects of transit stations. The Purple Line is another tool in our growing transportation ecosystem, and expanding choice within than ecosystem is a good thing.

    4. We all benefit from the federal money used to fix underutilized roads up. Give up a lane no one is using in cars for the buses, gain new pavement for the traffic and sidewalks.

      The IndyGo bus lines have done more for Marion County infrastructure than the Marion County GOP caucus has over the past decade. Freeman found $8 million a year, the Purple Line alone was many times that.

      When legislators show up with money to fix roads, I’ll take seriously their complaints about bus lines. Until then, I’ll just assume that they’re angry at IndyGo for showing their impotence at their jobs.

    5. Wow Wesley it’s amazing you can see how crowded the buses are all the way from california. You must have Superman eyesight

    6. Please check the operating ration for IndyGo. Read the statistics regarding fare revenue received. Or, simply go to the National Transit Database where required reporting is housed.

      And how was 95% empty bus figure determined. Was this based on individual observation of each bus for the entire service day. And where was the measurement taken, downtown, at a particular station.

      Why is IndyGo staff bloated. What is the criterion for staff levels. How does IndyGo staffing compare to other transit agencies of comparable sized. The majority of staff drive and perform maintenance on buses. Buses are not yet self-driving.

      And would any rational analysis show that Uber would be less cost or more efficient than IndyGo. Uber fares vary by distance and can range from 5 to 15 dollars or more per trip. Current transit fare is $1.75 — so each current riders would be further subsidized to use Uber — this would be significant.

      Those who need public transportation are typically those who choose not to use Uber most likely for cost reasons. There is a place for Uber or other comparable transport options to supplement transit, particularly in areas of city where transit does not exist — this is not a novel idea. Uber in this case would provide access to line-haul transit.

      One should seek reasonable solutions. However, spouting vitriol and outrageous claims is counterproductive at best.

    7. Rhea, wow! Welcome to 2024 where air travel is quick and easy! I rode the Red Line multiple times in July and it was packed every time.

    1. I’m not sure how far $13 million — the amount that came from local resources and the only part of the $188M that could even possibly be instead spent on roads — would go.

    2. Apparently you don’t live anywhere near or driven anywhere near any of the bus rapid transit lines? They did spend the bulk of the money on infrastructure, and not just the bus stops, but entire streets, sidewalks, and drainage.

    3. It was? More than half of that $188M was spent on subgrade rehabilitation, new pavement, new traffic signals, new sidewalks, new trails, new crosswalks, storm-sewer separation, new drainage inlets, improvements to adjacent bus stops for local bus connections, etc. etc.

      We only had to put up $70M in local funding for a 10-mile full rehab of a major corridor, with new transit stops and sidewalks that people have begged to get for decades! Not to mention all of the renovated houses, apartment buildings, and new businesses that have popped up along the Purple Line and attributed the BRT line for their investment. Seems like a pretty darn big win to me.

  3. WAHOO! Super excited for the new transit signal priority system too. The Red Line on Meridian Street is often standing-room-only, especially during the afternoons between noon and six. The buses have to wait too long to let people on/off because there are sometimes too many and the bus gets delayed. The extra buses serving Meridian Street are very much needed.

Your go-to for Indy business news.

Try us out for

$1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In