Although the North Late Loop is set to begin Thursday, another late loop plan is under consideration.
The Ball State University Student Government Association and the Muncie Indiana Transit System are considering combining the downtown loop with the north loop to make a "figure 8" route.
SGA Treasurer Zac Davis said his major concern was whether students would be confused that two separate loops were going through the same neighborhoods.
He said for the most part he has received positive feedback about the proposed route when speaking with some businesses and students. Some of the businesses sponsoring the north loop are hesitant about the idea, though, Davis said. SGA and MITS met with the north-end businesses Monday to discuss the proposed route.
"They're looking at running the north loop on their own for a few weeks but will maybe explore the 'figure 8' later," he said. "It could improve Muncie economically and get students to different parts of the community."
Jeff Phipps, owner of Bygones Bar and Grill, said he wanted to focus on the north loop before thinking about having a combined loop because he and the other business owners have been planning for a while to get the new loop running. After the north loop's six-week trial finishes in December, he said, he might begin to consider having the "figure 8" route.
Jenn Comer, SGA's secretary of community relations, said the meeting with the north-end businesses was productive and their biggest concern was funding the route.
"They [said they] can't do it alone," she said. "They really want to get everybody on board with it. They'd love to fund everything, but they can't. They're open to doing the loop that benefits everyone, but it's about getting the other downtown merchants."
Mary Gaston, the MITS assistant general manager, said the single loop would serve both ends of Muncie in a cost effective way that would be less confusing for everyone who wanted to use it. Other benefits include riders not having to transfer buses to get from one end of the city to the other, and the businesses would split the cost of one trolley for $800 instead of the $1,600 with the two now, she said.
"We're trying to get people together to talk about it," Gaston said. "This is an idea that students brought to us and merchants were interested in. We're not the ones pushing doing the loop at all; we're responding to a need that was expressed to us by those two groups."
Gaston said two routes had been considered with one that included the Village and the other that did not. The route without the Village would be shorter, and it would be a combination of the north loop and the downtown loop, she said. It would travel through the same neighborhoods, Oakwood, McGalliard and Bethel avenues, downtown and North Walnut Street.
"A disadvantage of the route without the Village would be those who are just going to and from the Village, it wouldn't work [with], but a lot of people are close enough to walk to the Village," she said.
Comer said there would be a meeting with the downtown businesses Wednesday to pitch the idea and try to get their support.
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