IndyGo COO: Red Line Sees ‘Tremendous’ Launch

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The chief operating officer of IndyGo says the initial turnout for the new Red Line bus rapid transit line over Labor Day weekend was "tremendous." IndyGo and the city of Indianapolis held a public celebration this morning, two days after the launch of the service. Roscoe Brown says they’re was great ridership early in the first full day of service and the organization expects those numbers to continue to rise throughout the month and beyond.

In an interview with Inside INdiana Business Reporter Mary-Rachel Redman, Brown says he hopes people using this project will see using public transit as a good idea.

"It’s economical; it’s good for the environment," said Brown. "But it also gives them an opportunity to experience our whole system. We have a lot of routes that will be intersecting the Red Line, so not only you’re able to go up and down the corridor, but you’re able to get throughout the community better. So as we get further along and as we get further down the road, we’ll develop more BRT routes that will do the same thing throughout the city. This is a transformative change in the way people look at public transportation and riding."

The Red Line covers a 13-mile stretch from Broad Ripple on the north side of Indy to the University of Indianapolis campus on the city’s south side. IndyGo says the project was the first phase in an overall, $96 million effort to connect Westfield to Greenwood.

Brown says seeing the number of people over the weekend lining up to experience the Red Line reminded him of a new amusement park ride. "We know there’s a lot of novelty in the first couple of days but it well exceeded our expectations."

The Red Line is free for the month of September, which Brown hopes people will take advantage of to learn more about the service. Over the weekend, IndyGo Chief Executive Officer Inez Evans appeared on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick to talk about the project and her new role.