Interurban Trolley riders could see less early morning service, starting as soon as June 1. Its bus routes serve the Elkhart area and connect it with Goshen, South Bend and Mishawaka.
The Michiana Area Council of Governments gave an overview of the planned changes during its Transportation Technical Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday.
Routes 32 and 35 would start an hour later on weekdays and end several minutes earlier. The first two trips of Route 30 would be shortened, and the first round trip of Route 50 would be discontinued. There would also be cuts to Saturday service.
“Really, what we did then is a kind of mathematical approach to where is ridership happening, when is it happening, what are the lowest performing hours and routes,” said MACOG Executive Director James Turnwald.
He told committee members that things like fuel costs are making bus service more expensive to operate, at the same time that Indiana’s property tax reform has resulted in less local funding. “We’re just trying to reduce some of our costs to keep in line with our overall budget, to stay within our local match that we do receive,” Turnwald said.
The proposed changes got a favorable recommendation from MACOG’s Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. They now go to its policy board for final approval next week.
South Bend’s Transpo is also looking at service cuts this summer, as it faces similar funding challenges.
