Multiple bus agencies and the South Shore commuter railroad provide mass transit services in Northwest Indiana. There have been some fledgling efforts Fractured transit at coordinating bus and train times between agencies, but each operates with a separate budget and separate management. Many bus routes stop at municipal borders, and there is no system in place for buying transfers when switching from one bus system to another. A report recently delivered to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority found merging the bus systems of Hammond, East Chicago and Gary could save up to $500,000 annually and set the stage for future expansion. DIAL-A-RIDE SERVICES CHICAGO DASH NORTHERN INDIANA Demand-response services operate just like 2009 budget: $111,193 COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION you would expect. Riders call ahead of time, (Oct. ’08 to current) DISTRICT (SOUTH SHORE) and the bus goes to them instead of the fare: $7.50 2008 budget: $38.2 million rider going to a bus station. routes: 1 fare: $3.80 to $7.45 one-way (Hammond to buses: 3 Millennium/South Bend to Millennium) SOUTH LAKE COUNTY ridership: 8,364 trains per day: 43 (weekday) COMMUNITY SERVICES (January to July) cars: 82 2008 ridership: 4.2 million 2008 budget: N.A. fare: $5.25 ($3.25 for seniors and * disabled) routes: Covers all townships in Lake V-Line service County except North and Calumet to the Dune buses: 8 Park South 2008 ridership: 13,500 Shore Station UPS pays PACE to operate operates solely seven daily nonstop buses from on Fridays and PORTER COUNTY AGING AND Gary and East Chicago to the Hodgkins UPS weekends. COMMUNITY SERVICES INC. center in downtown Chicago. 2008 budget: $460,000 fare: $3 routes: Covers all of Porter County Two PACE bus routes stop buses: 6 at the Dan Rabin Transit Center in Hammond, 2008 ridership: 18,260 providing more departures GARY PUBLIC TRANPORTATION CORP. than the whole of 2008 budget: $8.01 million OPPORTUNITY ENTERPRISES Hammond Transit. fare: $1.25 routes: 14 buses: 19 2008 budget: $650,000 2008 ridership: 900,884 fare: $7.50 employees: 106 routes: Almost all of Porter County, paratransit: 3 vehicles southeast Lake County, trips to 2008 ridership: 17,000 Michigan City health providers HAMMOND TRANSIT buses: 18 2008 budget: $2.56 million 2008 ridership: 72,000 fare: $1.25 routes: 5 buses: 10 *EAST CHICAGO TRANSIT NORTH TOWNSHIP DIAL-A-RIDE 2008 ridership: 290,536 2008 budget: $1.38 million VALPARAISO V-LINE 2008 budget: $269,559 PARATRANSIT employees: 3 direct and fare: free routes: 4 buses: 5 2008 budget: $770,735 fare: free 21 with contractor 2008 ridership: 281,610 is for riders who fare: $1 routes: 5 buses: 5 are unable to routes: North Township only (Munster, First Transit employees: 20 board regular 2008 ridership: 53,131 Highland, Hammond, E.C. and Whiting) paratransit: private taxicabs paratransit: shared ride service buses. paratransit: fixed route deviated buses: 5 2008 ridership: 8,170 2008 ridership: 6,200 2008 ridership: N.A. 2008 ridership: 10,479 SOURCES: INDIANA PUBLIC TRANSIT 2008 ANNUAL REPORT; VALPARAISO V-LINE; CHICAGO DASH; NORTHERN RYAN MARX | THE TIMES INDIANA COMMUTER TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT; SOUTH LAKE COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES; PORTER COUNTY AGING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES INC.; OPPORTUNITY ENTERPRISES; NORTH TOWNSHIP DIAL-A-RIDE..