Moving Forward...MIBOR Takes Transit

As champions for improving public transportation in our region, the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® (MIBOR) staff walked the talk Wednesday, October 10th by commuting to and from work via various forms of public transit. Staff members who typically travel to the office by car experienced getting to work by IndyGo or the Indy Express Bus to highlight the advantages and challenges to our current infrastructure.

Seventeen MIBOR staff (65%) participated in the transit day. Some rode to and from work while others took the bus to and from meetings and lunch. 

Overall, the challenges noted were bus stop amenities like lack of shelters, sidewalks, etc. Staff members also faced longer commutes than usual, especially those coming from outlining areas of the city. Staff definitely noted a need for more frequency. In order to get to work on time, many of our staff had to start their day very early. The challenges reinforce our support for improving the built environment through Complete Streets and the Indy Connect Plan. 

Staffers were impressed by the safety and cleanliness of the busses. Many noted the camaraderie of the passengers and operators and the diversity of the riders. Staff also noted that the busses were full – many citizens rely on this mode of transportation. 

On transit day, staff members captured their experience in photos, tweets, Facebook posts, and e-mails.  

Here are some of their comments and photos:

Pat Cline - Strong ridership this AM, at lunch and now. It seems the demand for transit does exist in Indy. 

Tom Renkert - Nice quick trip on route 4B, did a bunch of email. Time well spent.

Lacey Everett - Easy trip to and from lunch. We're transit pros now!

Sara Laycock - Great 16 minute bus ride into the office. Hardest part was crossing at 20th & Capitol. Let's get more pedestrian friendly Indy!

Chris Pryor - Most riders are busy on laptops and iPads or their phones. One rider just told me this the most productive hour of her day.

Claire Belby – I was surprised how easy bus access way. There are lots of stops. The challenge of course is the limited scheduling. My travel time was long but I went to two distinct areas to drop off my kids - I was surprised at how easy the plan your route tool is online.

Kristi Howard – This commute is absolutely a realistic alternative for my family should we want to save money and go down to one car, or if someone had a car in the shop. 


Kari Smith – I liked to see the interaction among the people who seemed to be regulars. The bus drivers knew them and they all talked to each other as if they were friends.

Jenny Norris – What surprised me the most was the diversity of people on the bus…students, professional people in suits, all ages and all walks of life.

As we look forward to the 2013 legislative session, MIBOR will continue to be an advocate of enabling legislation for the authority to conduct referendums to dedicate local revenue to transit and moving the Indy Connect plan forward. MIBOR is vitally interested in the future of the communities where REALTORS® do business and believes the expansion of transportation infrastructure, including bus, light rail and bike/pedestrian pathways, is an important investment in the growth of local economy and the community-at-large in central Indiana.