The South Shore's West Lake extension may be late in arriving, but express commuter bus service to the Loop soon may be ready to roll.
The Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority has voted to include express buses to Chicago as part of an overall $6.5 million, two-year plan to improve service in Lake and Porter counties.
"It's a way to build up a transit ridership business so when you do have trains, you could discontinue those routes and shift them to the train," RBA program director Ken Dallmeyer said.
Bus runs would start from suburban locations that are potential train stations for the South Shore's West Lake extension. St. John, Cedar Lake, Merrillville and others are being considered, Dallmeyer said.
The RBA will ask the
Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority to fund the plan, which also includes regional bus service to the suburbs and on-demand services. RDA approval could take several months and may include changes from what the RBA board approved.
The Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission has been working on running express buses from Valparaiso to the Loop for more than a year.
The plan is to start express bus service to the Loop on Oct. 1, according to Stuart Summers, Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission executive director.
The redevelopment commission is soliciting an outside contractor to provide the service. Bidding will close July 12 and a contract will be awarded by July 27, Summers said.
Coach USA, which provides regular bus service to O'Hare and Midway from Northwest Indiana, and Colonial Coach, which has operated suburban buses for PACE, have expressed interest in bidding, Summers said.
In a recent survey sent with Valparaiso water bills, 200 people responded they would be "likely" or "very likely" to use express buses to Chicago, Summers said.
"This will be good for them because it will save them on gas and it's good for Northwest Indiana because it will get cars off the road," Summers said.
The South Shore West Lake extension is being delayed by funding quandaries, with recent estimates pegging its cost at $1 billion or more. A proposed wheel tax on license renewals for funding the extension has been cooly received by lawmakers and the public.
Both Valparaiso and the RBA expect fares to be similar to those paid by
South Shore riders. The RBA estimates an overall price tag of about $250,000 per year for its bus service and Valparaiso about $200,000 for its service. Valparaiso plans on funding the first couple of years of service with fares and a federal grant, which already is in hand.
Valparaiso officials have met with the RBA but plan to go forward on their own in order to get the buses rolling, Summers said.