INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 14, 2014) – IndyGo achieved record ridership in 2013, ending the year with more than 10.2M fixed route trips, a high that hasn’t been seen since 1991.

“We are thrilled with the fantastic ending to such a big year,” said Mike Terry, President and CEO of IndyGo. “The increased ridership supports the community’s desire and need for a robust transit system in Indianapolis.”

The 23-year peak can largely be attributed to IndyGo’s 2013 service changes which improved frequency, extended hours and increased productivity on its existing routes. Additionally, a new Route 86 – 86th Street Crosstown contributed nearly 51,000 rides to the 2013 figure since its initial trip, less than seven months ago. Frequent service began on Routes 8 – Washington, 10 – 10th Street and 39 – East 38th Street in February and the impact was profound. The three routes combined accounted for 40% of all fixed route passenger trips in 2013, and a 23% increase over their 2012 ridership numbers. Service was also added to six other routes during 2013, resulting in a significant increase in ridership on those routes.

In 2013 IndyGo introduced a new vehicle type to the IndyGo fleet. The 60’ articulated bus is 20’ longer than the traditional city bus and increases passenger capacity by 20%. The articulated buses are currently running on Route 39, the heaviest demand route, but will soon begin transporting riders on Route 8 to help shuttle more residents and visitors to and from the Indianapolis Airport.

As ridership increased, so did bus stop amenities throughout the city. IndyGo’s collaborative PUPstop program, which refurbishes and repurposes historic Bush Stadium seats as bus stop benches, doubled in number in 2013. A brand new amenity was added as well, Simme-Seats, which are two-seater, bus stop signpost-mounted benches. These smaller installations helped IndyGo stretch its budget for bus stop improvements, with a smaller footprint and cost than benches or shelters.

Looking forward, IndyGo will begin receiving 22 electric buses this year, employing a zero-emissions propulsion system thanks to a $10M Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. IndyGo’s Downtown Transit Center project will publically kick off this month with a series of media and stakeholder meetings. Located at the southeast corner of Washington and Delaware, it’s set to open in late 2015. Real-time customer information will debut and the discussion around increased public transit in Indianapolis continues with the 2014 legislative session.

The transit experience in Indianapolis will continue to improve with these enhancements on the horizon, and IndyGo expects 2014 to be another record-breaking year. Download PDF here to see the year in review. To learn more about IndyGo news and initiatives, visit IndyGo.net.

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About IndyGo:

IndyGo, the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, provides public bus transit services to residents and visitors throughout Marion County. IndyGo is led by President and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Terry, and a seven-member, bipartisan board appointed by the Mayor of Indianapolis and the City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County. On its 31 local service fixed routes IndyGo provided 10.2M passenger trips in 2013. Visit IndyGo.net or call 317.635.3344 for more information. Find IndyGo on Twitter @IndyGoBus or Facebook by searching pages “IndyGo.”

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