The small college town of Bloomington, Indiana, offers a variety of options for getting around for those who do not have a car. Whether you are a Bloomington resident, a student, or just a visitor in town, you can select from many means of transportation, including buses, shuttles, bicycles, taxis, carpooling — and even your own feet.
 
Compared to similar cities in Indiana and some other small college towns, Bloomington is considered a pedestrian- and environment-friendly town. However, 74.8 percent of the city population still commutes to work by driving, whereas 8.4 percent walk and 1.7 percent use public transportation, according to 2000 U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
 
Raymond Hess, senior transportation planner for the city, said census statistics are lower than actual statistics in terms of people who use alternative transportation because the census does not include students who live in dormitories. Hess also said that the number of people who take the bus has increased significantly over the past few years.
 
Bus Service
 
There are two types of bus services in Bloomington: the IU Campus Bus and Bloomington Transit.
 
The IU bus service is a fare-free system and provides basic transportation on campus for IU students and Bloomington residents. It travels to all parts of the campus, to downtown Bloomington and to the area’s largest shopping center, the College Mall. The Campus Bus starts operating at 7:30 a.m. and runs as late as 11:30 p.m. on weekdays.
 
The Campus Bus is the primary transportation method for a number of students, whether they live on campus or not. Many students prefer taking the bus to campus because parking on campus is limited by the need for permits and a shortage of spaces. Also, because the bus schedules are shaped around class times, transportation is very convenient for students. Campus buses, however, provide reduced service during the weekends and university break periods, and no service on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
 
Bloomington Transit (BT) is the city’s bus service. It costs 75 cents per person and is free for IU students, faculty and staff with a valid university identification card. The main bus terminal is at the corner of Washington and Fourth Streets. BT buses pass their designated stops either every half hour or one hour and do not offer service Sundays, which makes them less convenient for passengers. Although many Bloomington residents like the bus service in Bloomington, they say there is still room for improvement.
 
Edna Collier, a Bloomington resident, takes Bloomington Transit buses and walks to the places she wants to go every day, and she thinks the bus service in Bloomington is good.
 
“The bus service is very good. I can get almost anywhere I want, but I wish buses ran on Sundays too,” Collier said.
 
Raymond Hess said that the revenue earned from passengers and local money is not enough to pay for adding routes. He added that half of the funding comes from the federal government.
 
“It would be nice if buses ran more frequently,” Hess said.
 
An IU student, Jacob Benson, takes the bus every day to school and he said riding the bus can be frustrating at times because of the limited routes and operating hours.
 
“I have been living off-campus for three years now and I ride Bloomington Transit to school every day,” Benson says.
 
Benson says his apartment is not near Campus Bus routes and that is why he rides BT. He says bus schedules are not very convenient for him and he has to walk or call friends for a ride when he cannot catch the bus.
 
“One of my classes goes until 9 p.m. and buses stop running at 8:15 p.m. I walk 15 to 20 minutes to get home when I miss the bus those days,” Benson says.
 
“I usually arrive to school much earlier than my scheduled class times because the bus runs once an hour from where I live,” Benson says.
 
Hess says that BT has submitted an application for federal grants to extend its service until 11 p.m. If BT receives the federal grants, it is going to start providing the expanded service beginning in January 2008. The grant, however, is only for one year, which means that even if BT receives the grant this year, it will still have to reapply for grants for 2009.
 
“Providing additional service and routes based on federal grants is a gamble you take, but we do not have to worry about it until next year,” Hess said.
 
Bloomington also provides a service called Rural Transit throughout the county. Rural Transit services link Bloomington, Ellettsville and Spencer, and make 10 round trips per business day.
 
Airport Shuttle
 
The Indianapolis International Airport is the nearest major airport to Bloomington. The Bloomington Shuttle Service provides non-stop service to Bloomington and Indiana University for $25 per person each way. The shuttle picks up passengers from four different locations in Bloomington nine times a day from 4:40 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.; for the return trip the shuttle travels from the airport to Bloomington nine times a day from 6:40 a.m. to 10:40 p.m.
 
Bikes
                                                                                        Zeynep Altinay
A bike rack on campus.
 
Bicycling has long been a popular activity in Bloomington. Bloomington is one of only 44 communities recognized as bicycle-friendly by the League of American Bicyclists. The town provides a number of bike trails in addition to bike lanes on major streets. IU provides a number of bike racks for students and requires a $5 parking fee on campus for bicycles.
 
There are several places in town where bicycles can be purchased.
 
Bicycle Garage Inc. is in downtown Bloomington. Bicycle Garage workers said that late summer and early fall are the busiest seasons for bike sales, when prices usually range between $250 and $1,000. Bicycle Garage workers say that there has been an increase in the number of people who ride bikes in town. However, they also say that the number can increase even more if the city of Bloomington finishes the bike paths that are currently under construction. Hess says that the city has been working on its three major bike paths, which are Bloomington Rail Trail, Clear Creek Trail and downtown B-Line Trail. Hess added that the city of Bloomington received grants to buy the property where it can begin building bike lanes.
 
“We will begin constructing phase one in the downtown area in March 2008,” Hess said.
 
Hess says that once the construction of the three major bike lanes is completed, there will be a 7-mile bike path, which will better link neighborhoods to each other.
 
“My crystal ball is cloudy; I cannot tell when the projects will be completed,” Hess said.
 
Hess also emphasized that although many cities do not set aside money for alternative transportation, the city of Bloomington has been saving $500,000 each year since 2002 to implement the project.
 
Walking
 
Bloomington’s downtown and older neighborhoods have a compact urban form, which provides destinations that are in close proximity to one another. Because major employment and commercial areas are clustered in the town, it encourages people to walk to get to campus, stores, work and other destinations. The City of Bloomington, however, is still aiming to improve its pedestrian routes. There are seven high priority projects on city government’s agenda to improve its side paths, and six of these projects are already in construction phase.
 
Bloomington downtown offers a number of restaurants, shops, entertainment, and businesses all in walking distance. If you are in Bloomington downtown, you can walk down Kirkwood Avenue, also known as Fifth Street, that starts from the IU Sample Gates and continues until Rose Hill Cemetery. There are more than a dozen restaurants on Kirkwood, including cafes, bars, pizza places and other type of food places. Peoples Park is at the intersection of Kirkwood and Dunn Streets for those looking for recreation.
 
The Square is where College Avenue, Walnut Street, Kirkwood Avenue and Sixth Street intersect. If you are walking by The Square, you can stop by The Fountain Square Mall to shop, or check out Howard’s Bookstore and many other shops around The Square. College Avenue is one of the major streets in Bloomington. Some of the important buildings on this two-mile street are the Justice Building, Graham Plaza and Bloomington Convention Center.  
 
 
 
 
National averages indicate that bicyclists will commute approximately 3 miles in 15 minutes and pedestrians 1 mile in a 10-15 minute walk to reach their destination.
 
Important transportation numbers:
Taxi Service
Yellow Cab Co.: 339-9744
Bus Service
Bloomington Transit: 336-7433
IU Campus Bus: 855-8384
Rural Transit: 876-1079
Car Rental Agencies
Ace Rent-A-Car: 336-1501
All-Ways Rent-A-Car: 800-214-4501
Budget Car Rental: 800-527-7000
Campus Auto Rental: 961-9358
Enterprise: 336-1018
National: 339-3443
Limousines
Classic Touch: 339-7269/ 800-319-0082
Round-trip to Indianapolis
Signature Limousine: 332-6004/ 800-589-6004
Indy Connection: 800-589-6004
One way to Indianapolis Airport or one way from Indianapolis Airport
Charter Services
Bloomington Shuttle Service: 332-6004/ 800-589-6004
Bloomington to Indianapolis
Star of Indiana: 876-7851