Short on buses, routes, funds means IndyGo really doesn't

[IndianaGreen]

Short on buses, routes, funds means IndyGo really doesn't

Cash-starved system rated among the worst is 'just holding on'

By Erika D. Smith

Posted: April 15, 2010

Anyone who has stood for an hour waiting for a bus along East 38th Street knows that Indianapolis' bus system -- the only form of mass transit we have -- is bad.

But few understand how bad.

"We're just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic ," said Michael A. Terry, president and chief executive officer of IndyGo. "We have a minimalist system," he added, "and resources continue to dwindle."

By many measures, Indianapolis has what is one of the worst bus systems in the country for a city our size. We're behind when it comes to the number of buses in operation and the number of routes offered.

For example, IndyGo has about 150 buses and 29 routes. Charlotte, N.C., a city roughly the same size geographically and population-wise, has 325 buses and 74 routes.

Given these shortcomings, it's not surprising that Indianapolis lags far behind other cities in dollars dedicated to transit.

Also working against IndyGo is the way those dollars are collected locally. Unlike peer cities such as Charlotte and St. Louis , which have far more expansive transit systems, Indianapolis collects money for transit via property tax rather than sales tax revenue.

Even in a recession, experts say there's the potential to raise more money through a sales tax . And that's not counting the effects of the state's newly enacted property tax caps.

All of this adds up to a growing headache for IndyGo.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100415/NEWS18/4150409/Just-how-bad-is-IndyGo-Very?GID=DFxVI8v47Z0NM0ykaVJwaldXffXQoj9Nx0/PmetuhqU%3D

Yet another kick in the groin to working people thanks to the property tax caps.