The Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA) announced the North & South Plainfield Connector shuttle will begin running weekend service starting Nov. 7 through Jan 10., 2021, due to a high demand for transportation to seasonal jobs at Plainfield warehouses.
Every weekday and now on Saturday and Sunday, the North & South Plainfield Connector shuttles pick up riders at IndyGo’s Route 8 stop on Bridgeport Road and circulate through the industrial parks in Plainfield. Employers such as Amazon, Hanzo Logistics and LSC Communications operate at peak during the holiday season, but they can’t operate at full capacity if workers lack transportation to get to their jobs.
Funding for the increased service for the North & South Plainfield Connector comes from an Economic Improvement District (EID), in which area businesses voluntarily assess themselves to support specific projects. CIRTA says the formation of the Plainfield EID has attracted national attention, and the town of Plainfield and CIRTA won an innovation award from Accelerate Indiana Municipalities for creating the EID to solve a workforce challenge.
“Nearly everyone riding the Connectors wouldn’t be able to work at these jobs if it weren’t for public transportation,” said John Seber, executive director, CIRTA, which operates the Connectors. “Weekend service during the holidays is good news for the workers and even better news for the employers.”
The fare to ride the Connectors is $1 each way. In addition to Plainfield, there is also a Whitestown Connector to job sites in the AllPoints and Anson industrial park in Whitestown.
