Bloomington Transit and IU Campus Bus are conducting a study to optimize bus routes and accommodate the future needs of bus riders.
Bloomington Transit received seven proposals from interested firms that wanted to participate in the study. Bloomington Transit ultimately chose Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning.
“After interviewing three finalist firms, our evaluation committee, which consisted of Bloomington Transit and IU representatives, chose Foursquare as the best and most responsive firm to undertake the study,” said Lew May, general manager of Bloomington Transit.
There is no current timetable for the study or any changes. May said the first phase of service changes could occur in late 2019 or early 2020, or as soon as the implementations of Foursquare’s recommendations are possible.
Bloomington Transit is looking for input from residents, especially students. The company, along with Foursqaure, is planning student input sessions 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Indiana Memorial Union.
May said Bloomington Transit is conducting the study because the layout of Bloomington has evolved over the past 10 years. Many more apartment complexes catering to IU students have developed, and a new hospital is expected to open in 2020 on the State Road 46 bypass. These changes affect where people live and how they travel, sparking the study for Bloomington Transit.
“We are experiencing remarkable growth in our city,” said Zac Huneck, planning and special projects manager at Bloomington Transit. “At the same time, there are more and more transportation choices, including ridesharing, bikesharing and, of course, scootersharing.”
Changes in economy and technology, such as consumers buying more cars, are also affecting transportation.
“All of these changes necessitate that we take an in-depth look at how our routes and schedules are structured to ensure we are delivering the best possible services with the resources we have,” May said.
Bloomington Transit and IU Campus Bus are in the early stages of the study, so it will not have immediate effects on Bloomington bus systems. May said he anticipates that routes and schedules may be reconfigured eventually.
Other expected outcomes of the study are a transit service to the new hospital and preparation for future transportation modes, such as autonomous vehicles.
The study will consist of talking to riders and understanding how they use transportation and then determining how public transportation can fit better into the community.
“At the end of the day, public transportation is about mobility,” Huneck said. “When people are able to move about more freely, with less reliance on single-occupant car trips, we all benefit.”
