As students return to Indiana University Bloomington for in-person classes after the online-only intersession, a safe way to travel around campus and the community is resuming operations, and Campus Bus Service will begin taking riders to the new IU Regional Academic Health Center.
IU Ride, a service for university students, faculty and staff, will start again Feb. 7. IU Ride halted operations Nov. 20 as students departed campus for Thanksgiving break and the intersession.
“While not intended to be a student’s primary transportation resource, it is a free, safe ride within Bloomington city limits,” said Amanda Wilson, director of Fleet Services.
The service provides rides for up to two IU students or employees from 8 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Riders are picked up in an IU minivan that has a driver and navigator present, and displays the IU trident on the side of the vehicle. Riders should set up an account and request rides through the TransLoc app. The app shows riders the van assigned to their request and the estimated time of arrival, Wilson said.
As a safety precaution against the COVID-19 virus, all riders must wear a mask over their nose and mouth, and anyone feeling sick should not use the service.
Bus route addition
Starting Feb. 8, Campus Bus Service is extending the E route and adding a stop at the new IU Regional Academic Health Center, a project that started in 2018.
The Regional Academic Health Center includes a new IU Bloomington Health Sciences Building along with IU Health services including a cancer center, surgical services, a women’s center, neonatal intensive care, physician offices and a trauma center.
The new stop on the E route, which goes by Evermann Apartments, will connect the center with the rest of campus, said Brian Noojin, director of Campus Bus Service.
“We anticipate mostly students to use it, but it may serve faculty and staff as well,” Noojin said.
All of the same safety protocols for riders from the fall semester will be in place, he added.
