Bus service to steal NICTD customers?

This is something I just got wind of however the article is 3 weeks old. I had no Idea that this was even and option that was thought of...

QUOTE: MERRILLVILLE | The Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority is pushing ahead with plans to run express buses from Lake County to downtown Chicago, despite growing concern the services may be pulling riders off the South Shore.
(read article for full details)

Express buses cut into South Shore business
http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/17/ ... 0be837.txt

south shore trains are packed to the gills after dune park on a regular basis.. I doubt these buses will have a dramatic impact on ridership if any ..from what i read the bumbers on the bus from valpo are not as great as they had hoped.. by the time a bus runs from the south county to the hammond or E chicago SS station it might as well go downtown.. if anything I see it as a step forward, becuase people riding these buses are probably going to wish it was a train.

The Regional Bus Authority is a bus company that's been in existence for years, and doesn't own one bus. They've spent millions in tax money and haven't carried one passenger, or enhanced public transportation an iota. In short, this is a joke, plain and simple. It's an attempt on their part to remain relevant after squandering the good will that they had when they started.

I didnt know NICTD already ran a Valpo bus service. South Shore in its history ran bus services, feeders to the line.

But the RDA thing, I think if Obama saw this he might have a fit, wasteful wasteful.

It may show demand as the article states, but NICTD already has operations going with even the Lowell/Valpo rail expansion, and the rail line can carry lots more than the silly busses and jam past traffic. I just laff thinking about the busses stuck in traffic.

With the traffic logjam, you better go the rail way. The 60's-70's didnt expect this jam, the rail expansion is so needed now, are you going to try to have separated causeways just for busses? forget it with so much rail availability and capability and potentiality, that was just dumb.

Somebody wanna bring back the CA&E and North Shore now?

dinwitty wrote:I didnt know NICTD already ran a Valpo bus service. South Shore in its history ran bus services, feeders to the line.

But the RDA thing, I think if Obama saw this he might have a fit, wasteful wasteful.

It may show demand as the article states, but NICTD already has operations going with even the Lowell/Valpo rail expansion, and the rail line can carry lots more than the silly busses and jam past traffic. I just laff thinking about the busses stuck in traffic.

With the traffic logjam, you better go the rail way. The 60's-70's didnt expect this jam, the rail expansion is so needed now, are you going to try to have separated causeways just for busses? forget it with so much rail availability and capability and potentiality, that was just dumb.

Somebody wanna bring back the CA&E and North Shore now?

NICTD doesn't run a Valpo bus service. That's run by the city of Valparaiso, as a pilot project. It's called ChicaGO and I think they average about 40 riders a day, if I'm not mistaken.

Hey JB thanks for the info on the ChicaGO bus. I lived in Chicago most of my life and have never seen that bus. Well I'm usually never in or near Valpo so I figure that's why. I did some digging and found it even has a website: ChicaGO Dash Express BUS
http://www.chicagodash.com/

seems so rediculious only 2 buses a day in/out bound. Im pretty sure if they only get around 40 passengers a day its because of there crackpot timetable! I wonder what street route it takes? I wonder if they take the Skyway or the Ryan? I'm wondering why not just run the express bus to the Gary metro center center with frequencies every hour in the AM (5-8)and PM (4-7) rush and one bus at 12 noon? ( I wonder a lot). Seem more economical from a business standpoint. No need for regular service as Valpos V-Line runs a city bus to Dune park but its only in the PM hrs that bus runs.
http://www.ci.valparaiso.in.us/v-line/routes.html

It would be more efficient to keep the V-line orange bus in the city and serve the citys population with a new city route and run the Dash bus from valpo to Merrillville along Lincoln hwy and then up 65 to the Gary metro center. In exchange linking the two systems together for better efficiencies and no redundancies. Naturally working together is better than all out competition.
. keeps the Bus off the bussy highways in the Chicago city limits.
. still has an express feel as the NICTD runs express from kensington to the Loop.
. allows Valpo to pick up Merrillville possible commuter if a stop was over by Southlake Mall.
. less emission and wasted fuel as the bus only runs half way to Chicago.
. shared fare or reduced fare for customers who use both daily.
... Also gives GARY a reason to speed up the process of upgrading (rebuilding, extending, and raising) the metro centers platform.

even the article states and I quote>>>>"We have expressed concern, especially when it (express bus service) goes into downtown Chicago," Parsons said. "It's literally serving our market. It would be different if RBA buses were providing service direct to NICTD stations"

Is it just me or does it seem the City council in Valpo is Stubborn and hard headed?

edit: also what an ugly bus paint scheme....

That bus is owned by a bus/truck line owned by a Indiana congressman. They do quite a lot of business with the state...

I never knew that FREE ENTERPRISE buses had a political connection......interesting.

Lets see......

.A bus service running under the free enterprise initiative..
.using state funds
.owend by an Indiana Congress man.
. Directly & boldly competing with local public transportation in the region

I dont know about anyone else but IF I was at NICTD Id be Yelling FOUL PLAY!!!

I guess that's why Parson started to complain...

I believe there's a congressman from Jeffersonville named Sodrel, and I think he owns the Solo truck lines and Free Enterprise bus system. You can see their garage from I-65 on the east side of the road, somewhat near the yard for Kentucky and Indiana RR, another Anacostia & Pacific property.

I think the Sodrel company is actually located just due west of the Indiana Railroad Transfer yard. This sits a few blocks (5 or so) south of Lucas Oil Field. Not much there, but I have only seen it on the weekends. I would agree thought NICTD needs to throw up a red flag on this deal....the expansion is needed, if not to full capacity now, it will be someday.

Here you go - looking west, you have the K&I yard, the Sodrel truck company, and I-65.
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&F ... &encType=1

Google says Sodrel/Free Enterprise is owned by former US Rep Mike Sodrel. I saw a much smaller Free Enterprise bus in downtown Chicago last weekend - like a local bus. I also recall when a delegation that was supposed to include the Indiana Governor visited our offices about a decade ago, they came in a Free Enterprise bus. We cleared the entire parking lot because we thought a large group of cars were coming from Indy. It was one bus...

Thanks for the link Tadman I had no idea there lot was that far south.. that's damn near Kentucky! why serve Valparaiso they would be better suited running a fully charter service or some service from lets say Indianapolis to Louisville too replace the lost leg of the cardinal. Id definitely be pushing for an inquisite on the practices and suitabilities of Mr. Mike Sodrel's bus lines if I work in management at NICTD.

Oh I'm sure he's got a few garages around the state - he'd lose his tail if the bus had to deadhead to Jeffersonville every weekend for a cleanout. And I'm sure NICTD has already made plenty of noise.

"express buses from Lake County to downtown Chicago" is real oxymoron. That is why we are going through this whole rail thing. You could have the fastest bus in the World, and all it is going to do is sit in monster traffic jams. Wake Up.

...Ken