I live in Fishers and work downtown. For years, my only transportation option was a daily 40-mile round-trip commute by car. But last year, I started taking the new express bus. Currently, 271 Fishers residents and 189 Carmel residents do the same. Collectively, we drive 84,000 fewer miles each week and annually consume 197,600 fewer gallons of gas.
For a while, I thought central Indiana finally understood public transit. I was delighted to see a $3.2 million increase for IndyGo in the Indianapolis city budget. My opinion changed Oct. 2 when IndyGo unveiled a rate hike and route changes. It seems the budget increase only covers employee benefits and increased transportation costs. So IndyGo must cut routes and increase fares. My monthly fare will jump 50 percent from $80 to $120. Net result: IndyGo’s commuter calculator shows it would cost me LESS if I drove myself.
To add insult to injury, federal funds cover 80 percent of the three-year express bus pilot program. When those dollars disappear, we’re on our own—via rider fares or local taxes. The Fishers town manager tells me local subsidies aren’t likely. Yet we always seem to have more money for wider roads and bridges.
If Indianapolis and surrounding communities want to be “world class,” we need world-class public transportation. But today, while Indianapolis is the 13th largest city in the country, it ranks 99th for its transportation system.
I’d rather spend my tax dollars providing improved public transportation than constantly widening roads. What do you think?
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