Fall 2017 SAVI Online Magazine Emagazine Fall 2017 FINAL | Page 9

The transit riders tend to live in neighborhoods that have more non-car commuters, higher rates of cost-burdened
households, greater access to parks, more people of color, and better access to parks than the county as a whole.
“There are jobs out there
without people, and there are
people without jobs. And transit
is really the connector between
those two. I don’t think folks
who have other means really
appreciate how valuable it is
to those of limited means in
finding work and making an
income and gaining financial
stability.”
— JAMES TAYLOR

CEO, John H. Boner
Community Center
would have more volunteers on a
regular basis if they promoted the
bus as a way to get there. And it
doesn’t have to be older people. It
can be anybody. If people thought,
‘Oh, it’s on the bus line and the bus
is pretty dependable’—that’s a good
way to promote volunteering.”
Polis found that one in
five IndyGo riders is retired or
unemployed. They mostly use
the bus for social purposes (like
visiting friends, going to church,
or volunteering) and for health
purposes (like visits to the doctor).
These riders tend to be older,
and they use the bus less often
than commuters.
SAVI’s neighborhood-level data,
which made this research possible,
allows planners and policymakers
to understand the impact of their
decisions on people like Denise
Smith, Kevin Sutton, the millennials
that IndyHub works with, and many
others. It can inform transit policy
decisions that impact all rider groups
by shedding light on who uses public
transit, how they use it, and the
unique aspects of the communities
in which riders live.
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