Indigo outlines Blue Line construction, community programs and fare enforcement plans

Indigo Special Programs Manager Jordan Patterson told neighborhood leaders at the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations’ meeting that Indigo has broken ground on the Blue Line bus rapid transit project and is working to limit disruption during construction while expanding community services.

Patterson said the Blue Line is a 24-mile project that will link Cumberland and the airport along Washington Street, and Indigo expects a 130-day first closure on the corridor beginning in June. “We broke ground on our third and most ambitious capital project, which is the Blue Line,” Patterson said. “We’ll see our first big closure, 130 day closure in around June of this year along Washington Street.”

The update matters because BRT (bus rapid transit) involves both transit operations and major street‑level construction that can affect businesses, access and travel patterns along Washington Street. Neighborhood leaders pressed Indigo on how the agency will support local businesses, ensure rider safety, and enforce fares while the system and technology mature.

Patterson described BRT elements — dedicated lanes, station platforms with level boarding, transit signal priority — and said the Purple Line’s work illustrates both infrastructure upgrades and the potential for economic development. “We have seen over $90,000,000 of economic development” along the Purple Line corridor, he said, and Indigo expects similar benefits along Washington Street once construction is complete.

To cushion construction effects, Patterson said Indigo offers a community toolkit for affected businesses that includes signage, window clings and maps showing alternative access during closures. He said Indigo conducts outreach to businesses before closures and uses social media promotions, a “Bus Line & Dine” program and other free promotions to keep customers informed.

On fares, Patterson acknowledged the trust‑based payment system creates opportunities for evasion and described increased fare‑inspector patrols and improvements planned for the MyKey account‑based fare technology. “We are kind of in this education period… we are very much still in this period of educating our riders that you do have to pay,” he said. He said Indigo has ramped up fare inspectors to check proof of payment and that Indigo is improving MyKey so inspectors and riders can more easily verify payment.

Patterson also described Indigo Cares community programs that use the transit center as a service hub: free clinic visits and rapid testing through Genesaret, wellness screenings, food distribution and cooking demonstrations, a music video series that showcases local artists, and seasonal “Food in Transit” markets. He encouraged neighborhood groups to promote those services and said details are at indigo.net/cares.

Neighborhood participants raised follow‑up requests about business support during long closures, Indigo’s financial readiness for a multi‑year construction program, and shelter placement policy when private groups offer to pay for shelters. Patterson said Indigo leadership indicates grant and project funding are in place and that he would follow up on specific questions the group raised.

Jordan Patterson provided an Indigo contact for follow‑up: jpatterson@indigo.net. The meeting’s neighborhood leaders asked Indigo to return for further outreach and to coordinate earlier with small businesses on access and publicity during closures.

Indigo said it is recruiting coach operators and mechanics and is offering sign‑on bonuses; Patterson said increasing staffing is a prerequisite to raising service frequency across routes, a change Indigo hopes to accelerate by 2027.