As state lawmakers in Indianapolis debate the state's role in developing mass transit, in Evansville mass trasit is mainly limited to municipal and private bus service.
The Metropolitan Evansville Transit System, or METS, runs buses in Evansville, and the Henderson Area Rapid Transit, or HART, runs buses in Henderson, Ky. But no municipal route connects the two cities across the Ohio River, said Brad Mills, the executive director of the Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Mills said there have been "casual conversations" about connecting Evansville to Henderson and Newburgh, Ind., through some sort of mass-transit system, and that there's "not really opposition to the idea, it just hasn't really been championed." He said there's been no real push to put a plan in motion.
"For (expanded mass transit in the Tri-State area) to be feasible, there needs to be some funding other than locally, whether it's federal or from the state," Mills said.
The problem with connecting cities with bus routes or even light rail, he said, is that not enough people would use them and even if they would, Evansville is so spread out that riders would often have to take another bus to get to their destination.
According to 2000 U.S. Census data, 10.2 percent of Vanderburgh County residents did not own cars, and 1.2 percent of Vanderburgh County residents used public transportation to commute to and from work.
A 2007 report by the Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization showed that METS has thus far been unable to draw passengers who could drive cars but instead choose the bus service. "Until transit is widely accepted by the 'rider of choice,' transit will not be a major component of the reduction of congestion and emissions," that 2007 report said.
Besides the municipal bus service, Greyhound also offers private passenger bus service from the same bus-transfer station where METS buses depart.