Bus riders experience quicker routes on first day of IndyGo's Purple Line

The Purple Line, IndyGo’s newest rapid transit line, officially started service on Sunday giving riders a quicker route to downtown Indianapolis along the 38th Street corridor.

Riders who took advantage of the new quicker route said that they were pleased with the service so far and didn’t have any issues with it on the first day of service.

“It’s been good and it’s nice to get around to places quicker,” said Nathan Elliott, 65, who used the Purple Line Sunday morning to attend his church that was close to 34th and Meridian streets even though he lives close to Emerson and 38th Street.

The line now connects downtown Indianapolis, starting at the Julia Carson Transit Center, following the same route as the red line up Capitol Avenue and Meridian Street until it goes east along 38th Street, ending at Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Dedicated bus lanes are also part of the transit line, which also has signal priority at busy intersections, meaning riders can experience shorter trip times. Buses will typically run every 10-15 minutes.

Bridget Adams, 62, got on the route at Meridian and 30th Street Sunday morning to head to her church that was close to the stop at Layman and 38th Street.

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She said while the change to the stop means that she is not able to get off at a stop as close to her church as she was before, she’s still grateful for how quick this new bus route is.

“I like that it has fewer stops now and is able to go quicker even if it does mean I have to walk a little bit farther,” Adams told IndyStar. “Now instead of showing up just 10 min before my Sunday school class, I get there about 30 minutes earlier.”

What is the Purple Line route?

The Purple Line is replacing what was Route 39 and will make stops at some major downtown and Eastside attractions like the Children’s Museum, the Indiana State Fairgrounds, two Ivy Tech Community College campuses, IU Health Hospital downtown and the new Eskenazi Health Center Grande on 38th street.

The line is 15.2 miles long and is within walking distance of more than 50,000 residents and more than 100,000 jobs, according to the IndyGo website.

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The Purple Line project was estimated to cost around $188 million, which involves new elevated platforms and new electric IndyGo buses.

When does the Purple Line run?

The Purple Line is open 5 a.m. – 1 a.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. – 1 a.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Sundays.

IndyGo teammates and community volunteers will be working as Purple Line Ambassadors at some of the busiest Purple Line stations this week Monday-Friday, during peak hours in the morning (7-11 a.m.) and the evening (3-7 p.m.).

Riders can find more information on the cost of bus routes, how to plan their individual bus routes and how to track their bus by going to indygo.net.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyGo Purple Line: Riders see faster travel times on first day