CityBus to stop only at bus stops

Soon you’ll need to be at a bus stop to hop aboard CityBus. Starting Monday, August 23, CityBus will stop only at designated locations instead of at street corners along routes when flagged by passengers, which is the current practice.

General manager Martin Sennett says the bus company is making the change to improve efficiency and customer service.

“As ridership increases, it is important for us to operate efficiently in order to stay on time,” said Sennett. “With the current situation, passengers will wait for the bus along some routes at every corner, which slows our service down and results in delays.”

Sennett hopes customer service will improve by reducing conflicts and confusion about the right place to wait for the bus. “Our more than 80 drivers have 80 differing opinions about stop locations, and our thousands of customers also have their preferences,” said Sennett, describing the reasons why customer conflicts can occur.

CityBus has placed about a thousand bus stop signs along routes in Lafayette and West Lafayette during the past year, and has been advising riders of the change since Spring.

“Bus stops are placed about every two blocks along routes, so nobody will have to walk too far,” said Sennett, who anticipates that the transition will go smoothly. “We hope our customers understand our goal is to improve their experience by being more efficient and timely.”

Manager of Development John Metzinger said CityBus is already receiving some requests from riders for new bus stop locations. “We continue to evaluate requests and consider making changes when necessary,” he said.

Metzinger said online schedules now include a list of bus stops for each route to help customers find the closest stop. “Or just look for the bus stop signs; they’re everywhere.”

For information on riding CityBus, call (765) 742-RIDE for customer service, or visit the web site at www.gocitybus.com.