A lack of funding could force the Gary Public Transportation Corp.to discontinue its popular Lakeshore South route that carries hundreds of passengers to Purdue University Northwest and commercial destinations in Hammond, Highland and Munster, officials said.
The GPTC is hosting a 5:30 p.m. meeting Thursday to discuss a reduced service proposal on the Lakeshore South route in September and its possible elimination in December, said David Wright, GPTC marketing director. The meeting will be held at the Adam Benjamin Jr. Gary Metro Center, 200 W. 4th Ave.
"We're hoping to start the conversation to highlight important of the route," said Wright of the public meetings that will also be held in Hammond. "It serves several hundred people a day. It's a lifeline. We're already getting complaints about it ending."
Wright said a lack of local revenue means the GPTC can't continue to subsidize the route in the Hammond area.
Wright says the Lakeshore South route draws about 2,000 riders a month, most from the Hammond/Highland area. He said extending service to north Hammond and Whiting would increase the number, based the regular inquires GPTC receives expressing interest.
Wright said the GPTC has already eliminated a second bus on the Lakeshore Connection service. "It wasn't as cost-effective as we wanted, it was draining our finances."
The Lakeshore service was established in 2014 following the loss of bus service in Hammond when the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority folded.
The Lakeshore Connection route will return to a two-hour schedule between downtown Gary and downtown Hammond in September.
Weekly service on the Lakeshore South route has been suspended from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and after 6:30 p.m. on weekdays. Saturday service has also been suspended.
GPTC General Manager Daryl Lampkins said without additional funding, the popular Lakeshore South route, isn't sustainable. It represents a reversal of GPTC's original plan to maintain the Lakeshore route service and to expand to Hammond and Whiting. "We're not happy about any of this," said Lampkins in a press release. "But we have no choice."
Wright said the Lakeshore route's local share is $73,000, while a federal grant covers $73,000. He said the public meetings are being held to begin conversations with Hammond, Highland and Munster about contributing funding.
Wright said the funding could come from one community or multiple communities but it would need to cover 50 percent of the $146,000 per year or the local match to maintain the current route or adjust it to serve north Hammond and Whiting, as well.
GPTC officials point to a successful arrangement with the town of Merrillville that they hope could serve as a model. Merrillville sought additional service and the town provided financial assistance to build shelters along the route. Merrillville invested about $18,000 toward the cost of a vehicle for the Merrillville Shuttle or feeder for riders from Indiana 55 (Taft Street) to the Broadway Metro Express. Wright said Merrillville is also contributing about $44,200 a year over a three-year period toward operation of the service.
The GPTC is also tweaking its free curb-to-curb paratransit service. Saturday service, which now begins at 5 a.m., will be altered to begin at 8 a.m.