IndyGo takes first step toward eliminating more than 500 bus stops

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – IndyGo crews will begin to post stickers on select bus stops starting Monday morning to signal to riders that stop will soon be removed, moved, or consolidated.

The stickers are the first step in the agency’s Bus Stop Balancing effort to help make the system more efficient.

IndyGo says more than 500 bus stops will be impacted by the change, which is about 15% of the current total number of bus stops.

The stickers will be going up over the next two weeks, but riders can still use the stops with stickers until that stop is physically removed. The removal process is scheduled to start Sept 14 and will take about a month.

IndyGo announced the effort last week.

“This is a best practice for public transit. Indianapolis hasn’t done a balancing effort in this scale before, but we have seen it succeed in other cities,” said Faith Chadwick, Public Information Office with IndyGo.

In theory, having less stops would make the system faster. Busses will be able to stop less and boarding times would be reduced.

As a result, riders may have to walk further to their stop, but spend less time on the bus. For those concerned about what a farther bus stop could mean for their commute, IndyGo says the maximum added walk time to a new stop will be around five minutes.

IndyGo has also created an interactive map for riders to stay updated as the removal process rolls out in the coming weeks.