Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bus Rapid Transit

Indianapolis’s Transit Investment is Starting to Pay Off

A rendering of Indianapolis’ under-construction Red Line Bus Rapid Transit project. Image: Indygo

Run it, and they will come.

The city of Indianapolis is learning that beefed-up transit service quickly translates to more riders — with local transit agency IndyGo reporting this week that ridership was up 3.4 percent this August compared to the previous year.

The mini-surge comes after service was expanded in February and June by about 500 more weekly bus trips — a direct result of a 2016 county income tax hike of 0.25 percent that raised money for the system, Bryan Luellen, a spokesman, told Streetsblog.

Prior to the levy passing, Indianapolis operated a bare-bones system, with just 35,000 trips a day — near the bottom among peer cities. The tax provided funding that will eventually expand service by about 70 percent, including a 35-mile bus rapid transit line, the Red Line, in summer 2019.

At the same time, IndyGo says it will unveil a complete bus system redesign that will create a network of simple bus routes with frequent service in the densest urban corridors. The goal is to connect 65 percent of Marion County residents — and 85 percent of those living in poverty — to more frequent transit.

Eventually, Indianapolis hopes that ridership will increase at least in proportion with service increases — 70 percent. But Luellen says the fact that bus ridership has already ticked up in Indy is good news.

"We’re just now starting to see some behavior change from these frequency improvements," he says.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Opinion: What Was Amtrak Thinking With These Layoffs?

"These cuts have the potential to undermine billions of dollars’ worth of long-term recapitalization efforts, just to save millions in its operating budget," the president of the National Rail Passengers Association argues — and the public deserves answers.

May 12, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Keep on Moving, Don’t Stop

What if you could hop on a bus the same way you stepped onto a sidewalk? Fast Company has the answer.

May 12, 2025

Cyclist Launches Class Action Suit For Bogus NYPD Red Light Tickets

The NYPD keeps ignoring a law that allows cyclists to pass through a red light on the "Walk" sign. Now, someone is making a federal case about it.

May 12, 2025

Car Harms Monday: ‘Car Brain’ is the Demon Spawn of Car Dependency

Our policies, our budgets and our cultural narratives assume everyone can and does drive. That's car brain.

May 12, 2025

US DOT Says It’s ‘Getting America Building’ — But Leaves Transit and Safety In Limbo

The feds are finally giving out money again — but not everyone is getting their promised funds.

May 12, 2025
See all posts