CONNECT Route Changes

The Route 11 branch to Hampton & Cantondale will be replaced by hourly service on Route 1. This change is due to low ridership and to provide bidirectional evening service, and 30 minute service along Main Street. Most bus trips will be interlined through downtown Mishawaka with Route 7, providing Route 11 riders direct service along Main Street to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and University Park Mall. Just south of Downtown Mishawaka buses will be streamlined to operate along Union Street instead of Main Street between 12th Street and the MTC. Passengers along Union Street will now receive service from both Route 1 and Route 11.

Route 1 Streamlined

Route 1 service will be streamlined entering and leaving Downtown South Bend. Route 1 will now operate on the same streets in both directions between South Street Station and McKinley Av, Leaving downtown via Main Street over the Colfax Avenue Bridge and continuing straight down Colfax Avenue to Jacobs Street and to McKinley Avenue. Evening service on Route 1 will end earlier at 20:33.

Route 11/9 Replaced

Interlined loop replaced by bidirectional evening service on Route 11 and Route 30, allowing evening passengers much faster travel times (with bi-directional service) and reducing passenger confusion.

Route 3 Simplified

The current Route 3A and Route 3B will be combined into one single Route 3 “Portage Route”, with the former separate deviations made by Route 3A and Route 3B between Downtown and Meijer replaced by the new Route 2. The New Route 3 will be rerouted to leave Downtown via Main Street, Lafayette Street, Riverside Drive and California Avenue in order to provide closer service to Memorial Hospital. The current Route 3A deviation off of Portage between Elwood & Wilber and Marquette & Wilber will be replaced by Route 2 running north-south along Olive Street. Passengers who currently catch the bus along Elwood or Marquette will still be within one-quarter mile of a bus stop on either Route 2 or Route 3. Route 3 and Route 2 will interline on all trips except the last trip of the day at the Meijer resulting in continued one-seat ride service between all destinations, including destinations along Portage Avenue and the DuComb Center and the Maple Lane Apartments.

New Route 2

The new Route 2 will operate north from downtown via Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Washington Street and Orange Street to Bendix Drive, stopping at Bendix & Eclipse to service the Excel Center (replacing Route 4 in this area). After replacing the Route 4 deviation via Orange Street, Route 2 will then turn north to operate via Elwood Avenue, Olive Street, (replacing the current 3A deviation away from Portage Avenue) and follow the entirety of the current northern Route 3B loop north of Olive and Lathrop to the DuComb Center and Maple Lane Apartments. Route 3 and Route 2 will interline on all trips except the last trip of the day at the Meijer resulting in continued one-seat ride service between all destinations, including destinations along Portage Avenue and the DuComb Center and the Maple Lane Apartments. Route 2 will provide bi-directional service along its entire route, and operate 6 days a week including weekday evenings and Saturdays. This will result in new evening and weekend service along the portions of the current Route 3B that aren’t along the Current Route 3A.

Streamlined Route 4

The restoration of Route 2 service will result in Route 4 returning to its straight route along Lincolnway for the first time since 2012 with outbound buses no longer having to deviate to College, Orange and Olive Streets (or into the Excel Center). Passengers going from Downtown to the Airport will see a reduction in travel times of up to 10 minutes since the bus will now operate straight down Lincolnway.

Route 5 Streamlined

Route 5 will be streamlined in the North Shore Triangle Neighborhood with the low-ridership deviation along Iroquois Street discontinued. There will still be 8 hours of Route 5 service per weekday and 7 hours of service on Saturday, but these service hours will be spread throughout the day with the largest gap between buses now being 2 hours (instead of 4 hours in the middle of the day today).

Niles DART Connection

In consultation with Niles DART, connections will be streamlined with direct connections between Transpo and DART buses 4 times per day.

Route 6 Changes

Route 6 will remain as the route running every 30 minutes on weekdays to the southside. Service will be streamlined to run north-south along Michigan Street in both directions between South Street Station and Erskine Commons. Service will now be directly provided to La Casa de Amistad’s new location, with the current deviation via Donmoyer, Fellows and Chippewa discontinued for faster service. Service will now run down Ireland Road to the Irish Hills Apartments (replacing Route 8 service), since the Irish Hills Apartments has much higher ridership than the current Route 6 loop via York and Jackson. Irish Hills Apartments residents will now have faster access to Erskine Village and the Walmart at Erskine Commons. Current evening service of 6/8 replaced with routes 6 and 8 extending service into the evening hours.

Route 8 Changes

Route 8 is currently the lowest performing 30 minute service route, as a result service will now operate every 60 minutes. The change to 60 minute service allows for full evening Route 6 and 8 service, and full Saturday Route 12 and 14 service. Current Route 8 service to Irish Hills Apartments will be replaced by more frequent Route 6 service. Route 8 will now provide riders direct service to Erskine Village and take over the current Route 6 south of Ireland Road. Route 8 will be streamlined to operate straight down Fellows to Donmoyer with the more circuitous portion of the route down Erskine Blvd discontinued. This will provide service to Fellows & Donmoyer (replacing Route 6 service). Service will now operate to the intersection of High St and Ridgedale Road to provide closer service to the Miami Hills Apartments. Buses will no longer pull into the shelter in the middle of the Ivy Tech Parking lot and operate only along Fellows Street. Current evening service of 6/8 replaced with routes 6 and 8 extending service into the evening hours.

Expanded Route 7

New Route 7 is a combination of the current Routes 7 & 15A. This route will provide service every 30 mintues with a one-seat ride from downtown South Bend and Notre Dame to destinations along Main St in Mishawaka. New route will offer a one-seat ride between new destinations including from Notre Dame to Big Box Stores (like Target) along Main Street in Mishawaka. There will now be one seat ride service from South Bend to the St Joseph Regional Medical Center, and the VA Clinic. Main Street will now receive service every 30 minutes instead of every 60 minutes. Service to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center will continue to change at 5:30pm on Weekdays and 2:30pm on Saturdays from the Main Door to the Emergency Room Entrance (resulting in two different variations and timepoints for the hospital and VA clinic depending upon the time of day).

New ND Campus Service

Notre Dame Campus service to and from South Bend will now enter along Notre Dame Avenue, including new stops at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre Dame Stadium (for Duncan Student Center). This route will provide service every 30 mintues with a one-seat ride from downtown South Bend and Notre Dame to destinations along Main St in Mishawaka.

Route 7 Streamlined

Service will be streamlined from downtown to the Notre Dame Campus via Hill St, South Bend Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue. Route 1 and Route 13 will now provide service to the South Bend Clinic.

Route 10 Extension

Route 10 will be extended to the Martin’s on Western providing a new connection point with Route 14. The current 5:27 early morning Inbound trip from Harber Homes will be discontinued due to low-ridership. Extra trip from Goodwill at 16:05 will be replaced with regular Route 10 Service.

Route 12 Changes

Route 12 has been streamlined in Rum Village with a 30-minute round-trip to provide better connections with other routes at South Street Station. Route 12 and 14 will now operate Monday through Saturday, replacing the Saturday only Route 12/14. This service change means Saturday Route 12 riders from Rum Village will no longer have to deviate to the West Side for trips into South Street Station, reducing travel times by up to 30 minutes.

Route 14 Changes

The first morning and last evening Route 14 trip on weekdays has been eliminated due to low ridership (1 passenger per day). The Route 14 Saturday schedule is different than the weekday schedule due to interlining needs. Route 12 and 14 will now operate Monday through Saturday, replacing the Saturday only Route 12/14.

Route 13 Changes

Route 13 will leave downtown away from Hill St, to Colfax Av & Eddy St, providing new service to the South Bend Clinic (Route 7 will be rerouted to service Hill St). Service will be rerouted to Main Street from Grape Road, to provide additional service and connections to Route 7 along this important corridor.

Route 15 Simplified

Route 15 Service will be streamlined and no longer deviate northbound to Indian Ridge Blvd & Walmart, staying straight on Grape Road. Service along Mishawaka Avenue will be swapped with the current route 9 (future route 30), Route 15 will now continue south on Liberty and enter downtown via Lincolnway. Buses are scheduled to connect with Route 7 at UP Mall, but don’t have timed connections due to other changes at the Mishawaka Transfer Center.

Route 16 Expansion

Route 16 will continue to provide peak service to the Blackthorn Industrial Park with a new extension via Dylan Drive to the LOGAN Distribution Center and Amazon Delivery Center. Service will be streamlined so all buses will operate via the counterclockwise direction around the Industrial Park Loop instead of the current two variations where the buses’ direction varies by trip. Service from the Industrial Park will be streamlined to operate with limited stops via Portage Avenue, with the current service along Bendix Drive replaced with Route 2.

Route 32 Changes

The Green Line, now known as Route 32, will be maintaining the service change made in December of 2024. Buses will no longer pass Elkhart HS in both directions, instead continuing to CR 10 after stopping at Holiday Village. More changes will come to Route 32 when the Benham Ave underpass reopens.

No Changes to Route 33

The former Interurban Trolley Blue Line was already modified in May 2023 to add service to the new Meijer store that opened in Northern Elkhart. There are no planned changes to the routing or schedule of the Blue Line, now known as Route 33.

Route 35 Waterfall Apts

The Orange Line will be renamed Route 35, with major modifications. Buses will no longer pull into Waterfall Tower but the intersection of Prairie Street & Waterfall Drive will receive service from both Inbound and Outbound service.

Route 35 Hively

Buses will no longer pull into the Kroger Parking Lot and instead will stop on Prairie St at the same side of the store. Buses will be rerouted to continue south down Prairie Street to Mishawaka Road, turn north on Pleasant Plain Avenue, now stopping on the same side as Carriage House Apartments. Buses will no longer service Concord Mall instead continuing straight down CR 18 to Ivy Tech.

Route 35 Industrial Park

Service will be extended further into the Industrial Park via CR 17, Parkway Avenue to Verdant Street, Eastland Drive to CR 15 to Toledo Road.