IndyGo will receive federal assistance to help Indianapolis improve transportation access through technology, the transit system announced Wednesday.
IndyGo is part of a coalition, led by the Central Indiana Community Foundation, that is in the early stages of developing what it calls the Central Indiana Personal Mobility Network.
The idea of the project is to use technology, including a smartphone app and other tools, to make it easier for people to access IndyGo and other local transportation options, including BlueIndy electric-car sharing, Indiana Pacers Bikeshare, Uber, Lyft and other still-emerging options.
The Indianapolis effort is one of six around the country that has been selected to receive a year’s worth of free consulting services to help it develop its plan. Services will be provided by the Chicago-based Shared-Use Mobility Center, a not-for-profit organization.
Other projects selected for assistance involve transit systems in Austin, Texas; Baltimore; the Ithaca, New York region; Memphis, Tennessee; and the San Francisco Bay area. Winners were selected from a pool of 28 applicants.
Indianapolis expects to begin working with the Shared-Use Mobility Center next month, said IndyGo spokeswoman Lauren Day.