Demand for transportation to seasonal jobs at Plainfield warehouses is so high that the South Plainfield Connector shuttle began running on Saturdays starting Nov. 11 and continue through Jan. 13.
Every weekday and now on Saturday, the 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 South Plainfield Connector comes from an Economic Improvement District, in which area businesses voluntarily assess themselves to support specific projects. The formation of the Plainfield EID has attracted national from Streetsblog, and the Town of Plainfield and CIRTA won an innovation award from Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM) 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 Lori Kaplan, executive director of the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, which operates the Connectors. “Saturday 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’s also a Whitestown Connector to job sites in the AllPoints and Anson industrial park in Whitestown.
