A commuter shuttle between IU and Indianapolis is suffering from low ridership two months after its launch.
The Campus Commute shuttle, a partnership between IU and GO Express Travel, operates four times daily on weekdays between the IMU and the IUPUI campus center.
“We’re hauling three to five people a trip,” said Steve Tafoya, a six-year operator for GO Express Travel who drives the campus commute route.
An internal count released to the IndyStar by IUPUI showed only 334 passengers using the shuttle during the entire month of December. One hundred seventy-seven rode from Bloomington to Indianapolis and 157 rode the opposite direction.
This averages to a little more than 10 passengers a day, five a ride, on the 50-passenger shuttle during the month.
“By next year it’ll catch up a bit,” Tafoya said. “These things take some time.”
Lan Yuzhi, a shuttle rider, appreciates the convenience of the shuttle.
“Hopefully more people will use this,” Yuzhi said. “It’s hard to find a carpool.”
One way trips cost $7 and round trips cost $14. Tickets do not expire but are redeemed on a first-come, first-served basis.
In contrast, one-way Indy airport shuttles are offered by GO Express Travel for $18 and Star of America for $15, according to each company’s website.
Reserved seats on the shuttle may be purchased for a $1.50 more and tickets are available to the general public for $10.
“We are always looking for opportunities to give our employees safer, more convenient, less expensive transportation options, and we are helping the environment as we do it,” Kent McDaniel, transportation liaison and demand manager at IU Bloomington, said in a press release.
Tickets may be purchased with credit card only at campuscommute.com, at the IUPUI Campus Center or on the bus.
Online tickets must be printed off and presented to the driver with a valid student ID or driver’s license, according to the IU press release.
“We offer all of the amenities,” Tafoya said, “Wifi, reclining seats, DirecTV, electrical outlets, we have it all.”
Food and drink are allowed on board and bike storage is also available.
The shuttle is operated by GO Express Travel without financial backing from IU. IU worked with GO Express Travel to save on reimbursement costs for employees traveling on University business, according to the IU press release.
Trips to Indianapolis, which IU reimburses at a rate of $60, only cost $14 for a round ticket on the shuttle, saving IU $46 per employee ride.
In addition to stops at the IMU and IUPUI Campus Center, the shuttle also stops at the northwest corner of Memorial Stadium in Bloomington and at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
The shuttle makes pickups from the IMU at 6:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and then makes one more stop at Memorial Stadium before heading to Indianapolis.
