A new bus route will transport Bloomington residents outside of city boundaries for the first time, according to a Bloomington Transit press release issued Dec. 3.
Route 13 will begin service to West Vernal Pike, Park 48 and Ivy Tech Community College on Jan. 2, 2025.
The route will offer stops at the corner of Walnut and 14th Street, the corner of 17th Street and
Lismore Drive, and the corner of College Avenue and 11th Street. There will also be stops at Will Detmer Park, Ivy Tech Community College, Simtra BioPharma Solutions and Garden Hill Mobile Home Park.
Riders can also access other employers by using the route, including Cook Medical, Berry Global, Singota Solutions and TASUS, which are located in the Park 48 Industrial Park.
The new Monroe County jail site at North Park is a mile north of the Will Detmer Park stop, though it is not clear if Bloomington Transit intends for Route 13 to service the new jail.
The buses will run Monday through Friday from 6:40 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with one trip per hour.
Bloomington Transit previously only offered fixed-route service within Bloomington city limits but was able to expand through collaboration with Monroe County government.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to extend county-city collaboration into the world of transit,” Julie Thomas, a member of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, said in the release. “It will be a fabulous service for residents across Monroe County.”
Rural Transit, a nonprofit organization servicing Putnam, Owen, Monroe, and Lawrence counties, provides door-to-door transportation given a three-to-five-day notice, but it does not offer fixed-route services within Monroe County.
The Bloomington Transit bus fare is $1. Indiana University students can ride Bloomington Transit buses for free with a valid student ID.
