Public Transportation (B-Town, Indy) (Indianapolis, Bloomington: neighborhoods, buying, living in)

[Proust]

Will be moving to Indiana soon. I have a job in Bloomington. My girflriend's job is in Indianapolis. We're thinking about living in separate cites, per our respected jobs. Still, neither of us has ever been to Indiana, and we can't seem to figure out the public transportation. How difficult is it to get from Bloomington to Downtown Indy via public transportation (and also, how difficult by car?)

Would it be possible to live in Indy and work in Bloomington? Vice Versa?

Thanks for all the help?

PS: Also, is Indy a dangerous place for a very cute, single, 22 yr. old woman to live? What places ought she avoid?

[domergurl]

public transit ... nope, nada

it's not hard to drive from Bloomington to Indy ... just kinda boring .. straight up state road 37. Traffic and weather can affect your commute times.

Not sure why you are wanting to live separately ... can't you find a place in the middle and commute in opposite directions and be together at the end of the day and on weekends????

Indy is safe. Are there bad neighborhoods? Yep. Public transit within Indy is lacking ... there's a bus system. Bloomington actually has a decent public transit system, but it's only for Bloomington.

Good luck! Is there any chance that the 2 of you can make it out this way before the move??

[Proust]

Would not be able to make it out before the move, because the cost of the trip plus the move would be too much! Really wish we could visit first, but it's not in the cards.

How long is the commute, by car, from Bloomington to Indy (she has a car... I do not)?

If we lived together in Indy, how would I get to Bloomington 5 days a week without a car. I don't mind waking up extra early. I am just looking for a solution that keeps us close to each other. We would prefer to live in the same apt. complex, maybe somewhere between the two cities. Or, if we lived together -- in B-town or Indy -- we need to know what life will be like.

What's a good place "in the middle" that would work for both of us? Preferably pretty safe...

[gump47371]

Drive is about 1 hour. Besides carpooling with someone, I don't know of any way to get to B Town from Indy other than car.

I did find this, but for $150 a week, I think you are better off buying a car. Bloomington Shuttle Service

I am just moving to Bloomington myself at the end of August, so can't comment on living there, but have made the drive many times. Just watch your speed, as there are state troopers that love to patrol HWY 37 constantly.

[Proust]

It baffles my mind that there is no public transportation between the two cities considering how close they are!!

Gump: thanks for the shuttle info, but $150 a week would be impossible! That's ridiculous...

[wh15395]

Originally Posted by Proust

It baffles my mind that there is no public transportation between the two cities considering how close they are!!

Gump: thanks for the shuttle info, but $150 a week would be impossible! That's ridiculous...

You will definitely get used to the complete lack of public transportation in Indiana. There is no way to get in between cities and it is even difficult to get around Indianapolis itself using the bus.

[domergurl]

yea, welcome to Indiana, Proust ... I'm going to suggest that you both live in Bloomington. Didn't realize you weren't a driver, that's a big rub. Will she have to do the commute everyday? That's a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle though.

[dave.dawsn]

There is a shuttle from Indianapolis International Airport to several points in Bloomington. I believe it runs seven days a week. The only problem is it costs $30 round trip, so you'd have to peel off $150/week to commute that way. You might be able to get a discount if you buy a block of tickets at once, but I didn't see anything to that effect on the website:

Bloomington Shuttle Service (http://www.bloomingtonshuttle.com/airport.html - broken link)

If you plan to rely on transit to get to and from Bloomington, I suggest you live in Downtown Indianapolis. Our only mode of public transit (for now) is the IndyGo bus system, and downtown is the hub, so you'll probably have fewer problems that way. To take the Bloomington Shuttle, you'd have to take the IndyGo Green Line to the airport to catch your shuttle, and then go from there. Commuting this way could take in excess of two hours each way, FYI.

[Toxic Toast]

Martinsville is right in between the two on 37, why not live there?

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Toxic Toast

Martinsville is right in between the two on 37, why not live there?

he doesn't have a car ...