IndyGo partners with Via Transportation on accessible ride-share pilot
New York City-based Via Transportation Inc., which last year pulled out of the ride-hailing industry to focus on public transportation services, will lead the program.
New York City-based Via Transportation Inc., which last year pulled out of the ride-hailing industry to focus on public transportation services, will lead the program.
Agencies are expected to use the money to prop up day-to-day operations, including staffing and payroll as well as cleaning and sanitization to limit the spread of illness in public transportation.
Nearly 70% of the total cost is set aside for infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks and stormwater drainage.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Monday tabled an amendment that would have conditioned the removal of some public transportation funding requirements on compliance with new lane minimums—which would’ve involved budget-busting redesign and land acquisition over several miles of the proposed 24-mile route.
Construction on the $188 million Purple Line is expected to begin in early 2022. The route will extend from downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
Indianapolis is moving ahead with the next two legs of its massive bus rapid transit project, after a messy legislative session and pandemic-related problems threw a wrench in the timeline.
IndyGo announced in September that it would cut bus frequencies on 15 routes, effective Oct. 10, in a decision driven by its workforce and ridership numbers.
Participants will receive a 31-day IndyGo paper pass at the clinic immediately following their COVID-19 vaccination.
The Purple Line will run along 38th Street, upgrading a traditional bus route that IndyGo says is among its most ridden and most profitable, and connecting downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
Earlier this month, the Democrat-controlled City-County Council voted 20-5 for new development standards that add residential and mixed-use districts to push bus usage, walkability and density county-wide.
When IndyGo’s goal of an all-electric bus fleet by 2035 hit a major obstacle, the agency detoured, ordering 27 hybrid buses that are powered with both electricity and diesel.
The IndyGo transit system will not have to pay millions of dollars for companies to relocate utility services to make way for new rapid bus lines. That’s because the state senator who proposed the requirement dropped it.
A Republican senator won initial approval this week for an amendment that would require IndyGo to pay public utilities to relocate utility services to make way for new transit lines, a move that Democrats say goes against standard practice.
Rep. Jim Pressel, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, will not schedule the measure for a vote by Thursday’s deadline, his spokesman said Wednesday, effectively killing the bill, which has already passed the Senate.
IndyGo has long struggled to improve its Open Door service for riders with disabilities. It’s launching a series of public meetings this week to solicit ideas from the public.
Senate Bill 141 would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law. It also would prevent IndyGo from moving forward with expansion projects, like the Blue and Purple lines, until it secures private funding.
Senate Bill 141, authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law.
Keystone Corp. would replace the former Chase Bank branch in the 6200 block of College Avenue with a five-story building adjacent to the garage, while adding two levels of apartments atop the parking structure.
If the Indianapolis Public Schools board approves the most drastic cuts, about 5,600 high school students and 4,000 elementary school students could lose district-provided transportation.
IndyGo has purchased one parcel and is working to purchase an adjacent one for its Open Door paratransit service, which is now housed on the city’s northeast side.