Issues to extend free bus rides on Red Line through Nov. 10

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The start of the Red Line hasn’t gone as planned.

So, the transit bus line will be free of charge for more than just its startup month of September. The IndyGo transit bus from downtown to the north side will now be free through at least Nov. 10.

A news release from IndyGo late Thursday afternoon said, “The decision is being made for two reasons. First, several Red Line riders have experienced issues with service during the first month of operations. Second, it recently became clear that new ticketing machines for the Red Line would not be fully operational by an agreed-upon deadline.”

IndyGo’s board of directors approved the extended free service at its monthly meeting earlier Thursday.

Technology vendor Flowbird Group is working to update IndyGo’s fare system with a smartphone app, a new website, reloadable fare cards, ticket vending machines, fare enforcement and citation management.

The vending machines have been unable to accept bills for cash transactions and the user interface for administering the fare system also is not yet working.