Robust, reliable transit helps keep seniors active

We have lived in Indianapolis for most of our lives, and one of the thing we did in retirement was move downtown. It was a great decision. When we lived in Irvington, we had to get in the car to go anyplace. Here, we walk almost everywhere.

We do drive to church in our old neighborhood, but we have said we are going to start taking the bus—the Washington Street bus goes within a block of where we need to be. It has to be reliable, though, because we’re not able to stand out at a bus stop waiting for very long.

We became very aware of how unreliable the bus has been when a friend gave up his car because he moved downtown. He was going to take the bus. Unfortunately, what he found was the bus didn’t always come when it was supposed to and he couldn’t get everywhere in the city. Even when he could catch a bus, he had to transfer to get kind of close to where he was trying to go.

We watched the new transit center being built downtown, and we went to the dedication. To us, it’s a symbol of the city’s commitment to transit. Although we still feel pretty able to get around on our own, we’re committed to finding our comfort level with transit because we see it as an option for us down the road.