A proposal to add a Hobart stop to Valparaiso's ChicaGO Dash bus is drawing backlash from existing riders. Currently, the service consists of three round trips from Valparaiso to Chicago each weekday. Now, the city is proposing a new stop at the Jubilee Worship Center in Hobart.
Transit Manager Don Lorntzen says it could be a way to boost ridership and revenue. "There's a lot of details that we still have to work out with it, in trying to figure out what kind of schedule we'd want to run into there. I don't know how many buses I even want to stop there. I have to figure out what kind of participation we're going to get from the people in those area," Lorntzen told the Valparaiso Board of Works last week.
During a public hearing, about 15 riders voiced opposition to the new stop. They argued it would reduce flexibility when the bus has to detour around traffic incidents and make them late for work.
But riders were more understanding of a proposed fare hike. The city is looking to raise the single-ride ChicaGO Dash ticket from eight to nine dollars, a 10-ride ticket from $70 to $80 and a monthly pass from $230 to $250. The fare for the South Shore Connect bus would double to two dollars.
Lorntzen said fuel and other operational costs have gone up, while ridership is slow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. "We averaged a little over 1,600 rides a week prior to COVID, and right now, we're just getting back to about 500," he said.
He noted that fare revenues make up a relatively small part of the system's funding, but they do have an impact.
Valpo Transit will ask the board of works to act on the proposed changes at an upcoming meeting. If approved, they could take effect September 1.
