How is public transport in Indy? (Indianapolis, Atlanta: insurance, day care, home) - (IN) - City-Data Forum

talon4life · 02-09-2008, 07:36 AM

Is it possible to get around from home to work, etc. without a car?

REM · 02-09-2008, 07:59 AM

You can but it's very hard. My bus was 10 mins late yesterday. Also the times the buses do come are few and far between. You will most likely have to leave very early to be on time for your job. i have to leave an hour early to get on the bus when it would be a 10 min drive if i had a car. Indianapolis is full of many great things but the public transportation system is one of the worst in American, we ar always ranked in the 40s... Also to get home can be hard if you work late at night like i do you will be lucky if the bus even runs in your area. It does for me but i have to wait almost an hour to get on the bus, then i have to walk in a ditch or on the road because to the few side walks we have in the city.

I suggest you get a car.

domergurl · 02-09-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by talon4life

Is it possible to get around from home to work, etc. without a car?

Not realiably. You could probably bike it more efficiently.

talon4life · 02-09-2008, 09:20 AM

Well, I can drive, but my wife can't. She comes from Switzerland and it costs like 10000 dollars for a license there, so we are looking for somewhere she can get to work. We currently live in upstate NY and both have bachelor's she in Political Science, me in English Lit. and there are no job opportunities here, so we are looking for a city with decent housing prices, more job opportunities, and somewhere she can get to work. We are kind of narrowed down to Atlanta and Indianapolis. I don't care much for Atlanta though, because I hear it is suppossed to get really crowded over the next 15 years or so.

sweetana3 · 02-09-2008, 10:00 AM

It really depends on where your job is. We live downtown within 5 blocks of my office and less than one mile to husbands. There is housing around the hospitals downtown, around the universities, etc. So much depends on getting the job and then locating close to it. But our jobs will not move and you dont really know where your wife's will be located.

I did not drive until I was 29. Perhaps your wife could take lessons like I did? But I still drive rarely. Indy is an easy city to navigate with the fairly large streets and grid system. Plus our traffic even when bad is nowhere near as bad as Atlanta's.

There is no way Indy's bus system would be considered adequate and the funding is not there to make it much better. Most areas are not served.

domergurl · 02-09-2008, 12:09 PM

There are a lot of driving schools in Indy and it's environs. If you live downtown, you'll not have to drive to work, maybe, but getting to a grocery store or any stores for that matter ... you'll need to drive. I think there are taxis, but you will have to make arrangements for pickups and dropoffs.

talon4life · 02-10-2008, 05:50 AM

Driving isn't really an option because of cost. By the time I factor in a 2nd car payment, insurance, and day care cost for 2 kids there really isn't a point in her working, because it won't bring in anything extra.

TheProf · 02-10-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domergurl

There are a lot of driving schools in Indy and it's environs. If you live downtown, you'll not have to drive to work, maybe, but getting to a grocery store or any stores for that matter ... you'll need to drive. I think there are taxis, but you will have to make arrangements for pickups and dropoffs.

There are no grocery stores in downtown Indy? What about Lockerbie?

domergurl · 02-10-2008, 11:47 AM

Did they convert the O'Malia's to a Marsh downtown? If so, that's it.

prairiestate · 02-11-2008, 09:03 PM

I don't live in Indy, but I have taken a good look at the bus map (I'm kind of a transit geek). A few things stood out. First, there is no express bus service or any park and ride lots. That should give you an idea how most people feel about transit, when your only option to get downtown is to drive. Second, and more importantly for your purposes, almost all routes radiate out of downtown. So, if you're on the northwest side of the city, and want to get to the northeast side, you can't take a bus across town to do so. You would have to go all the way downtown first, then take a bus back out. With few exceptions, you're limited to only taking a bus along the street that you live near. On the plus side, they do have a rather cute and clever name for their system "IndyGo".