Interurban Trolley

Interurban Trolley is an Elkhart County regional public bus service operated by the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG). It was originally known as the BUS system. The system serves the city of Elkhart and neighboring Goshen, Osceola, Dunlap and Mishawaka. It is made up of five fixed routes that radiate from downtown Elkhart and an on-demand para-transit service that covers the same territory as the fixed routes. The name refers to the fact that the system serves several communities using vintage-trolley-style buses, evoking interurban trains that were common in United States during the early 20th century.[3]

Interurban Trolley
Headquarters227 West Jefferson Blvd, Room 1120[1]
LocaleSouth Bend, IN
Service areaElkhart and St. Joseph County area
Service typebus service, paratransit
Routes5
Stations1
Fleet3 Hometown trolley buses [1] 10 ElDorado National EZ-Rider II[2]
Annual ridership482,593 (+0.17%)[1]
Fuel typeDiesel
OperatorMichiana Area Council of Governments
Chief executiveJames Turnwald, Executive Director[1]
WebsiteInterurban Trolley

History

The BUS system was originally made up of two routes – the previously independent Concord Route and the Elkhart-Goshen route. The Concord route was established in 1986, providing a link between western Elkhart and Dunlap. It was operated by Concord Township trustee and funded using local dollars.[4] In 1999, MACOG launched the Elkhart-Goshen route, linking together the cities of Elkhart and Goshen and establishing the BUS transit system.[5] At the time, the system used minibuses to transport passengers.

The system was expanded in 2003 with the addition of North Pointe Route, which linked downtown Elkhart and the North Pointe Mall in the city's northern section. On December 20, 2006, MACOG replaced the mini-buses with wheelchair-accessible trolley-style buses and gave the system its current name.[6]

In September 2009, MACOG launched the Bittersweet/Mishawaka Route, linking Elkhart and city of Mishawaka's eastern neighborhoods. It was designed to sync up with South Bend TRANSPO's Route 9. The routes meet at Martin's department store, arriving and departing within minutes of each other. As of this writing, there are no free transfers between the systems.

On February 1, 2010, service on two of the four Interurban Trolley routes were changed. The North Pointe route was extended to the new Martin's and Goodwill stores at County Road 4 and Cassopolis St. (St. Rd. 19). The Bittersweet/Mishawaka route got new stop at the Elkhart General Hospital.[7]

On August 16, 2010, the new Elkhart East/West Route was added. It is made up of two sets of loops that run through Elkhart's western and eastern neighborhoods, intersecting at the system's transit hub.[8] The route was originally conceived as a way to fill a service gap identified in the 2007 MACOG coordinated transportation plan.[9]

On February 3, 2012, MACOG officials announced that service will be changed after Concord Township cut its share of the system funding. The last-minute injection of funds from Elkhart and Goshen city governments allowed MACOG to avoid immediate cuts and gave it a month to figure out how the service would be changed.[10] Subsequently, Cleveland, Osolo and Elkhart townships agreed to provide some funding assistance, and Concord Township agreed to provide some funding as well (albeit at a reduced level).[11]

Even with the infusion of funding, MACOG decided to revamp the Interurban Trolley. While the Elkhart-Goshen and Bittersweet/Mishawaka routes were largely unaffected, other routes were changed significantly. The changes took effect on April 2, 2012. That date also marked the introduction of new naming scheme for the routes. From that point on, the routes were named after colors as well as major service areas.[12]

General System Information

Interurban Trolley operates on Monday-Saturday. It does not operate on Sundays and major holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).[13] The system operates from 5:00 am – 8:00 pm on Monday-Friday and 5:00 am – 7:00 pm on Saturday. For the most part, weekday and Saturday schedules are identical.

Fares

The fares for the Interurban Trolley are:[14][15]

  • Base Fare: $1.00
  • Half Fare*: $0.50
  • 1 Day Pass: $3.00
  • 14 Day Pass: $18.00
  • 31 Day Pass: $35.00
  • Transfers: Free, Good for 120 minutes
  • Access Fare: $2.00

*Half fares for Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons are only accepted during Non-Peak hours. Must show ID, Medicare Card or Handi-Card to receive discount. Non-Peak Hours are 5:00 am–7:00 am, 11:00 am–3:00 pm and 6:00 pm–7:00 pm

The Interurban Trolley formed a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College that allows students, faculty and staff to ride with an Ivy Tech ID and validation sticker. The validation stickers are available for $20 per semester from Ivy Tech Bursar's Office.[16]

Routes

The Interurban Trolley is made up of five routes:

  Red Line Elkhart/Goshen
  Blue Line North Pointe
  Yellow Line Bittersweet
  Green Line West
  Orange Line East

The Elkhart Transfer Station serves as the system hub. It is located near The Elkhart Courthouse in the city's downtown, on Franklin Street, between 2nd St. and 3rd St. All given routes stop here within minutes of each other, creating convenient transfers.

Connections to other transit systems

Yellow Line Bittersweet links up with TRANSPO's Route 9 in Mishawaka, which, in turn, connects riders to downtown South Bend and the South Station, TRANSPO's transit hub. Blue Line North Pointe stops at Elkhart's Greyhound station. Red Line Elkhart/Goshen and Green Line West routes both stop near the Elkhart Train Station.

References
  1. "2014 Indiana Public Transit Annual Report" (PDF). Indiana Department of Transportation. August 2015. pp. 46–47. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  2. "Plans released for new Interurban Trolleys in Elkhart". WSBT. March 25, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  3. "The Interurban Trolley |Trolley". www.interurbantrolley.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  4. "Innovations in Transit Planning and Financing, Slide 27". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  5. "MACOG Transit Consolidated Plan, Page 15" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  6. MACOGazette, Volume X, Issue 1 (Page 1)
  7. http://www.fox28.com/Global/story.asp?S=11882602
  8. http://southbendtribune.com/article/20100812/News01/100819832/1130
  9. "Michiana Area Council of Governments 2010 Coordinated Transportation Plan (Draft Copy) – Page 5" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  10. "Elkhart County trolley routes face change due to funding dip by Tim Vandenack". Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  11. https://www.scribd.com/doc/87278572/Trolley-bus-route-changes
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "The Interurban Trolley | Routes & Fares". www.interurbantrolley.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  14. "The Interurban Trolley | Riders Guide". www.interurbantrolley.com. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  15. "Interurban Trolley introduces new day pass". Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  16. "Interurban Trolley rides for Ivy Tech students, staff just got cheaper through new partnership". Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
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