A multi-organization collaboration held ‘Dawgs on the Bus’, providing students a fare-free IndyGo ride to the Glendale Town Center on Saturday, Oct. 3. The event was hosted by Butler’s Office of Sustainability, Founder’s College, the Student Government Association (SGA) Diversity, Equity and Student Belonging Board and IndyGo.
‘Dawgs on the Bus’ aimed to educate students and faculty on how to navigate bus riding. The event also encouraged sustainable choices — rather than a plethora of individual cars, the bus system can transport a large number of people to the same destination, drastically reducing carbon emissions.
Event attendees were picked up on bus Route 19, which makes various stops from Butler to IndyGo’s transit center. The key destination for the event was the stop at Rural St. & Glendale Towne Center, where the Broad Ripple Farmers Market was taking place.
During the bus ride, an IndyGo representative broke down all the aspects of bus transportation in Indianapolis, such as where different Indianapolis bus lines go, how to navigate tickets and how to get on or off at different stops. The goal of this information was to increase student confidence in the bus system and encourage comfortability in utilizing the service.
The SGA was a part of this event to provide the student body with greater access to off-campus opportunities. Junior software engineering major Marwad Egbeyemi is the SGA executive secretary. He explained that taking a bus can be intimidating; however, despite the stigma, this mode of transportation can be incredibly useful.
“Many students on campus have never been on an IndyGo bus,” Egbeyemi said. “Whether it’s for safety concerns, that they truly don’t know what it is, how it provides service or [it being hard] to navigate.”
Through the ‘Dawgs on the Bus’ event, SGA hopes to bridge the gap regarding students’ hesitation to use the bus service, allowing students broader opportunities to venture off campus and explore the city.
Associate director of sustainability education MaCie’ Weathers defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of today without jeopardizing future generations to meet their own needs.” She shared how the event encouraged the sustainable choice of reducing carbon emissions.
“When we think about [environmental] impact and what we can do as individuals, it’s the small everyday decisions [that will make a difference],” Weathers said. “If we as a community want to be more sustainable and create a culture of love and care, it will take us collectively coming together, changing the culture and making choices about what we do every day.”
One bus can carry dozens of people, as compared to those people each driving their vehicle to get to the same destination. According to Weathers, taking the bus — or using any other alternative transportation methods — is a choice individuals can make to help make an eco-friendly impact.
Abby Martin, the Founder’s College library assistant, played a major role in securing the event’s free bus tickets. She shared that the goal of the location was to demonstrate that the bus can take you to a variety of popular destinations, rather than students depending solely on a car for transportation.
“We’re trying to make the bus something that doesn’t seem like just a resource; it’s also something you can utilize just the same as your car,” Martin said. “[We are] not saying that this has to be your only mode of transportation, but it’s saying, ‘This is an option; why don’t we explore it?’”
A survey was sent out to individuals who signed up for Saturday’s event, asking their perceptions of bus riding. Prior to ‘Dawgs on the Bus,’ 79% of participants reported they had never ridden on an IndyGo bus before. Additionally, when asked how comfortable they were to take the bus on their own, participants’ average answer was 2.44 on a scale of one to five — one being “not at all comfortable” and five being “very comfortable.” After the event, this average score rose to 3.83, and 67% of participants reported that their perception of the bus as a transportation option was “very positive.”
Karissa Hulse, director of campus and community development, explained that IndyGo routes can take individuals nearly anywhere in Indianapolis, and that bus riding can offer a unique glimpse into the surrounding area.
“When you observe your surroundings [as] a passenger, you get to let your eyes wander, experience the people and places around you and form an understanding of where you are,” Hulse said.
‘Dawgs on the Bus’ aimed to encourage sustainable transportation, educate Bulldogs on how bus riding works and connect campus with the broader Indianapolis community.
The various organizations involved in planning this event hope to make ‘Dawgs on the Bus’ a recurring series throughout the school year, with different destinations for each ride in the series.