Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

For years, transit has been woefully underfunded at all levels of government. The
community, state and nation need to invest much more heavily in our public transportation
systems. This might mean new taxes or shifting existing tax funds from other programs to
our public transportation system. The City should be visionary here and work with BT to
advocate for a greater public investment to improve and expand transit services and to
transition buses to non‐petroleum sources of fuel.
12. Explore the option of a “no fare” Bloomington Transit system
The IU Campus Bus system currently operates as a “no fee” system. Other communities in
Indiana, such as Marion, are operating public transit free of charge. BT should explore the
possibility of implementing a “no fare” system. On special days when BT does not charge a
fare to ride the bus, it experiences a 15 percent increase in ridership. Bloomington’s
Growth Policies Plan prioritizes increasing transit ridership and calls for the City to
“[c]oordinate with Bloomington Transit to study the feasibility of allowing universal transit
access for all citizens of Bloomington.” 175
However, fares currently bring in around $400,000‐$500,000 per year and cover 20‐25
percent of BT’s transit costs. As the loss of fare revenue would be significant, it might very
well mean that some transit service would be cut. The City and Monroe County should
work with BT to closely examine such feasibility and should help identify sources of
revenue needed to invest in the BT infrastructure to help meet increased demand
occasioned by a free fare system.
175 GPP, Implementation Measure, MT‐5, 15.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force
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