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Gary Public Transportation urges Lake County to consider multi-year funding as fleet and ridership expand
Summary
During public comment Denise, representing Gary Public Transportation, reported fleet upgrades, service consolidation savings and partnerships with local universities and asked the council to consider a recurring four-year funding commitment to support continued expansion and workforce access.
Denise, speaking for Gary Public Transportation, told the Lake County Council the agency has expanded routes, upgraded its fleet and achieved substantial operating savings and asked the council to consider steady, multi-year funding to sustain and grow service.
In public comment, Denise said consolidation and efficiency measures saved about $900,000 in personnel costs and that recent LED and facility improvements reduced utility spending by roughly $94,000 this year. She described new hybrid and electric buses obtained with private matches (including Volkswagen and a Lilly Foundation partnership), expanded route endpoints (noting service now extends to 102nd and connections with Hobart and Maryville), and emerging partnerships with local universities to increase ridership and workforce access. Denise said pilot programs include discounted student passes and shared-use motorized bikes at campuses.
Citing specific operational details, Denise said the agency has about 20 major buses in its fleet and supplements service with paratransit vehicles and leased units when needed; she emphasized the system’s role in economic development by connecting workers to employers and students to campuses. As an ask of the council, she suggested considering a recurring four-year investment similar to models used in comparable cities (she referenced example planning numbers around $4 million a year in other jurisdictions) to provide stable local matching funds that would make larger federal and private grants more feasible.
Council members asked for metrics and agreed Denise should return with detailed proposals at a future meeting; Denise said she will present route, ridership, fleet and driver-pay data at the next council session. "We need more," she told the council, urging investment to expand transit as an economic engine and to serve vulnerable residents.
The council did not take immediate action on the request; staff and Denise agreed to follow up with a formal proposal and supporting data at a subsequent meeting.
