Fall 2017 SAVI Online Magazine Emagazine Fall 2017 FINAL | Page 6

Young participants in Earth Charter Indiana’s summer “Climate Camp” use IndyGo buses to get around
town as they learn about Indianapolis’ environmental initiatives.
“Public transportation came
up as the number one priority,”
says Karissa Hulse, director of
development and operations
for IndyHub. “We represent a
community that consists largely
of choice riders. They have other
options. They want to choose transit.
And it’s not only about themselves.
It’s about equality of opportunity for
their neighbors, too.”
But as things stand, IndyGo isn’t
seen as a viable option for much of
the membership.
“A lot of the bus stops don’t have
sidewalks, don’t have shelters, don’t
have benches,” Hulse says. “The bus
stop is literally just a sign in a ditch.
And you’re not going to get people
to go through the effort when
that’s the case. It’s not that they’re
deciding not to. It’s that it doesn’t
even factor into their options.”
Last year, IndyHub organized
a series of monthly dinner outings
for its members to help them
overcome some of the barriers to
6
The report explores five groups of transit riders,
why they use transit, and how they compare to
the demographics of their home neighborhood.
using public transit. They met near
a certain stop and boarded the bus
together, then took it to a stop near
a restaurant. After dinner, Hulse
and a representative from IndyGo