Shuttle bus from Ball State University to Indianapolis

Dear Sue Weller:

We are impressed with the variety of transportation services that Facilities Planning and Management has to offer its students, faculty, and others in Muncie. The shuttle buses that travel down McKinley Avenue are extremely convenient for both on- and off-campus students, and the airport shuttle that travels to Indianapolis International Airport is also valuable for students who live in other states and desire to travel back home.

As pleased as we am with what is currently offered, we wish to request an addition to the transportation services available. We would like Transportation Services to consider setting up a weekend shuttle bus route that will take students, faculty, and others from the Ball State University campus directly to Indianapolis.

As previously mentioned, the airport shuttle bus that travels from the campus to Indianapolis International Airport is a convenience for those students who do not have access to cars and wish to travel out-of-state to see their families during holidays, and vice-versa. This shuttle service, however, has two major disadvantages: it is only in use during certain times of the school year, such as seasonal breaks, and it drops students off right at the airport, outside of downtown Indianapolis.

A shuttle bus route that leads directly to Indianapolis would benefit those students who wish to travel during other times using other various methods. For example, there is a Greyhound bus station in Indianapolis that connects to various cities throughout Indiana. Considering the Greyhound station in Muncie was once of more than twenty throughout the state that was shut down in 2005, the station in Indianapolis would benefit those who wish to take the bus home, thereby saving money on gasoline and other expenses. There is also an Amtrak station, in case students are interested in traveling by train.

Additionally, the shuttle bus would benefit those who simply want to travel to Indianapolis during the weekend, but cannot do so for various reasons, the most prevalent one being lack of access to a vehicle. This shuttle service would certainly be a convenience to them, along with their friends and family members.

But besides being a convenience to students, we also want the buses to be convenient for the school to manage. Therefore, we recommend that the shuttle bus only be in schedule during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This way, it wont interfere with the schedules of the existing shuttle buses, which are not even scheduled to run on Saturdays anyway. The weekend is also typically the time when most students want to get out of town.

We also recommend that the pricing and reservation system for these buses to be similar to those offered by the current airport shuttle service, with a small discount offered to students and faculty with valid identification cards.

In closing, we respectfully ask Transportation Services to consider these advantages of establishing a shuttle bus route that connects Indianapolis with the Ball State campus. The bus services Ball State University already offers are extremely useful methods of transportation. The addition of this extra service would be even more beneficial for students, their families, faculty, and anyone who wishes to travel to Indianapolis for various reasons.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.