Hammond Transit
Encyclopedia
Hammond Transit System is the provider of bus service in the Chicago
suburb
of Hammond, Indiana
. It features four local intra-city routes and one route that provides access to neighboring Whiting
and Chicago's East Side
neighborhood. The system was established in 1976 as replacement for the discontinued bus service provided by Chicago & Calumet District Transit Co. The service was a division of the Hammond city government. As of January 1, 2010, the system is operated by the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority
. Hammond Transit Center acts as a transit hub, linking together all system routes, as well as Pace suburban bus system
, East Chicago Transit and Gary Public Transportation Corporation
bus routes.
In August 2009, the city of Hammond and Northwest Indiana's Regional Bus Authority met to discuss the system's future. They eventually came up with an agreement. Under its provisions, RBA assumed control of Hammond Transit System on January 1, 2010. The city of Hammond pledged to provide a portion of the funding for the next two years. The rest is paid by RBA, a grant from Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority as well as a variety of state and federal funds.
The route changes were originally slated to take effect on July 2010, but they were postponed until August 2010 to give riders more time to familiarize themselves with the new schedule.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
. It features four local intra-city routes and one route that provides access to neighboring Whiting
Whiting, Indiana
Whiting is a city located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area in Lake County, Indiana, which was founded in 1889. The city is located on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. It is roughly 16 miles from the Chicago Loop and just short of two miles from Chicago's South Side. Whiting is home to Whiting...
and Chicago's East Side
East Side, Chicago
East Side is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the far south side of the city, between the Calumet River and the Illinois-Indiana state line, approximately south of Downtown Chicago...
neighborhood. The system was established in 1976 as replacement for the discontinued bus service provided by Chicago & Calumet District Transit Co. The service was a division of the Hammond city government. As of January 1, 2010, the system is operated by the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority
Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority
Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority is a regional public transit agency operating in Northwest Indiana's Lake and Porter counties. Established in 2000, it was known as Regional Transportation Authority until 2005...
. Hammond Transit Center acts as a transit hub, linking together all system routes, as well as Pace suburban bus system
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
, East Chicago Transit and Gary Public Transportation Corporation
Gary Public Transportation Corporation
The Gary Public Transportation Corporation is a commuter bus system in Gary, Indiana that offers service to numerous stops throughout the city and neighboring suburbs...
bus routes.
Hammond Transit System and Merger Negotions
In January 2009, Hammond officials announced that the Hammond Transit System would be shut down on July 1, 2009 due to the lack of funds. In February, Thomas McDermott Jr, mayor of Hammond decided to postpone the shutdown until the end of the year in hopes that a funding solution will materialize. In effort to save money, the Saturday service was eliminated and the service frequency on all routes was decreased to one bus per hour (in some routes, 75 minutes).In August 2009, the city of Hammond and Northwest Indiana's Regional Bus Authority met to discuss the system's future. They eventually came up with an agreement. Under its provisions, RBA assumed control of Hammond Transit System on January 1, 2010. The city of Hammond pledged to provide a portion of the funding for the next two years. The rest is paid by RBA, a grant from Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority as well as a variety of state and federal funds.
RBA Assumes Control
When RBA assumed control of Hammond Transit System, it rebranded the buses, replacing "Hammond Transit System" labels with "EasyGo" stickers. The system stop signage and system maps retained the original name. While the routes and schedules remain the same for the time being, RBA is looking to make a number of service changes to make the system more efficient and allow for better connections with PACE, East Chicago Transit and GPTC. The tentative plans for creation of two regional routes and three local ones. Route 1 will be revamped as Calumet Regional Route. With a few exceptions, the route will travel along Calumet Avenue, linking Chicago's East Side neighborhood, the city of Hammond and the town of Munster. The new Indianapolis Regional Route will largely follow Indianapolis Boulevard, connecting Chicago's East Side neighborhood, parts of Hammond and East Chicago, terminating in northern Highland. The revamped local routes were not finalized until April 2010. RBA announced its intention to increase service on regional routes during morning and evening rush hours, running the buses once every half an hour. Between January and March 2010, RBA solicited comments and suggestions from the public about what kind of changes it should make. In the end of April 2010, RBA approved the changes. While the public comments resulted in a few alternation, most of the changes are broadly similar to what was originally proposed.The route changes were originally slated to take effect on July 2010, but they were postponed until August 2010 to give riders more time to familiarize themselves with the new schedule.
Northwest Lake County Transit Services
On June 28, 2010, RBA executive director Tim Brown explained the changes in detail, expanding on some of the earlier comments and adding a few details. On August 2, the service hours will change, with all buses running between 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM every half-an-hour during morning and evening rush hours and every hour the rest of the day. Saturday service would be restored starting August 7, with all buses running once an hour. The service would be officially renamed Northwest Lake County Transit Services, but the buses will retain the recently added "EasyGo" logos and bus stops and signs will remain the same until further notice. Calumet Regional Route and Indianapolis Regional Route would debut as Red Route and Green Route, respectively. Two local routes, Orange Route and Blue Route, would be operate as fixed bi-directional loops, covering some of the destinations previously covered by Routes 1, 3, 4 and 5. The rush hour bus will run between Dan Rabin Transit Plaza and Lake County Government Complex in Crown Point, with inbound buses departing in the morning and outbound buses departing in the evening.Hammond Transit Bus Routes
- Route 1- Downtown to Chicago East Side
- Route 2- Downtown to Hessville
- Route 3- Downtown to South Hammond
- Route 4- Downtown to Woodmar
- Route 5- Downtown to Columbia Plaza
EasyGo Lake Transit Service Routes
| Red Route - Chicago East Side to northern Dyer |
| Green Route - Chicago East Side to Highland |
| Blue Route - Downtown Hammond to Hessville |
| Orange Route - Downtown Hammond to Marktown, East Chicago |
| Brown Route - Munster Community Hospital to Lake County Government Center |