INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Some Red Line riders reported wait times exceeding an hour on the rapid transit line’s second day in service.

Labor Day travel was also slowed by unexpected bus changes at downtown and Broad Ripple stations, Red Line passengers said.

Lynda Ford, a Broad Ripple resident who had planned a “quick joy ride,” said she switched buses twice and waited at least an hour at the 66th Street station.

“I’m glad it was free!” she told News 8. “When we were waiting, I was like, ‘I’m calling Uber.’”

Ford and two friends parked at 46th Street and boarded a northbound bus. Their trip to 66th Street was “uneventful” until passengers were told to get off the Red Line bus, she said.

“We got off at about 4 p.m.,” Ford told News 8. “Another bus came at about 4:45. We got on and before we left, we had to get off again. We waited for an hour.”

The trio rode the third bus south to 54th Street and said they were relieved to reach their destination following a nearly two-hour journey. 

Driving from 46th to 66th Street along College Avenue, then back down to 54th Street, would have taken them approximately 15 minutes.

Susan Holewinski, another Broad Ripple resident, reported waiting 30 minutes at the 66th Street station. She waited “no more than 10 minutes” at a downtown station after being told to change buses, she said. 

“It was much quicker coming from the south to the north than going from the north to the south,” Holewinski told News 8. “The waiting wasn’t too bad. I guess you get to talk to people that maybe you wouldn’t talk to before.”

Monitors installed at stations to display real-time bus locations were not in service Monday. IndyGo directed riders to track Red Line buses using “MyStop,” a mobile app. The app displayed wait times exceeding two hours Monday afternoon for some Red Line buses. 

A southbound bus leaving Capitol Avenue and Washington Street around 3 p.m. was 149 minutes late, according to the app. 

A southbound bus leaving 66th Street and College Avenue around 2:30 p.m. was marked 141 minutes late.

Lauren Day, a spokesperson for IndyGo, blamed Monday delays on holiday staffing.

“We have fewer buses on the road than we will during weekday service,” she told News 8. “That will help with bus spacing and passenger loads. Dispatch and drivers are working hard to smooth out the frequency to reach the 15-20 minute arrivals at each station. By and large, it’s working well and we’re seeing full buses.”

Bus changes were caused by driver shifts ending mid-route, Day said.

IndyGo will add express buses after determining which stations require additional service, she added.