IndyGo: Reliable Transit is ‘Baseline Expectation’

One key feature of the expanded mass transportation plan is the $20 million public transit center near the City-County Building in downtown Indianapolis.

The vice president of government relations with the Indy Chamber says the organization is very supportive of changes IndyGo is proposing to expand public transportation throughout the state’s largest regional economy. Mark Fisher, who also serves on the board of the public transportation corporation, says the IndyGo Forward plan will boost the reach and access of the service and make it more convenient for the "people that make our city run." Public input sessions will begin Friday and run through the rest of the month.

He says a solid mass transportation system helps with talent attraction, as well as supports the existing work force. "Certainly, the Millennial generation is looking for more livable, walkable communities. They want to be able to live in a city and not necessarily have a car or maybe if they’re in a dual-income household, maybe only have one car, so they’re looking for some options, Fishers tells Inside INdiana Business. "It really is a baseline for Millennials as they’re comparing cities." He believes a strong system is an expectation for the generation that has become the largest group in the work force. "It’s not something that they are looking to go to a city and help build one up."

With support from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, IndyGo has spent recent years crafting a new plan for a longterm strategy. Last year, IndyGo refined a five-year plan for the county, which includes more frequent, 7-day-a-week service with longer hours. It also involves more direct routes and a total of three rapid transit lines. By 2021, IndyGo says the proposed expansion would offer service to nearly 250,000 more in central Indiana and boost total service hours by more than 70 percent.

Funding for the plan in Marion County assumes passage of a .25 percent referendum this year.

Public comments will be open through the end of the month and will be reviewed for potential inclusion in a final plan that could advance to the IndyGo board next month.

The meetings will be:

• Friday, February 5 at Indianapolis Central Library – Open House from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and a brief presentation at 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, February 13 at the Haughville Library – Open House from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and a brief presentation at noon
• Monday, February 15 at Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFÉ) – Open House from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and a brief presentation at 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, February 27 at Indianapolis Central Library – Open House from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and a brief presentation at 12:30 p.m.

You can connect to additional details about IndyGo and the plan by clicking here.