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    1. Management

    IndyGo Board approves to reallocate funds for capital spending; approves free rides for Christmas and New Year’s Eve

    Dec. 11, 2019
    The board will reallocate $7 million to capital spending and will offer free rides on Christmas and New Year’s Eve for the first time.
    Related To: Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo)

    The IndyGo Board of Directors has approved a $7 million re-allocation of funds to close out the fiscal year, with the allocation being moved from operations to capital spending.  

    This spend includes the purchase of five additional bus rapid transit (BRT) vehicles under the current contract with Build Your Dreams Corporation (BYD). The competitive procurement for BRT vehicles provided options to purchase up to 75 buses. IndyGo had already ordered 31 vehicles and 30 have been received to date. 

    While IndyGo has identified that the vehicles delivered have not met the range requirement of 275 miles in one charge, IndyGo says BYD has been a very cooperative vendor in providing a temporary solution of boost charging in route, and a permanent solution of inductive charging to be installed next year, all at no additional cost to IndyGo. 

    With special events increasing ridership and maintenance opportunities limited by charging time the purchase of additional vehicles would allow for more flexibility for the operation and ensure reliable delivery of service for customers. The purchase authorized tonight will not exceed $6.5 million in cost, and the five additional vehicles are expected to be delivered next year. 

    The IndyGo Board of Directors also approved free rides on Christmas and New Year’s Eve to ensure all the city’s residents have a safe and accessible travel option this holiday season. This is the first time IndyGo has observed the holiday by offering free rides on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Specifically, no fare will be charged on all local and rapid transit routes on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Eve, rides will be free system-wide from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.