Two weeks after Muncie Indiana Transit System discontinued the Late Loop because of low ridership, the North Loop is experiencing problems of its own, according to sponsors.
NORTH LOOP
As the North Loop heads into its third weekend of operation, sponsors hope ridership will increase after two weekends with low numbers, Jeff Phipps, manager of Bygones Bar & Grill, said.
Mary Gaston, MITS assistant general manager, said the North Loop, which runs between McGalliard and Riverside avenues, had 17 riders its first weekend and 12 the next.
Phipps said he had not seen a noticeable increase in business since the North Loop began.
"[Ridership] never has been good," Phipps said. "It's just been a slow start. I think we just need to get the awareness out there and let [people] know it's there."
Phipps said he and the other sponsors have been advertising for the North Loop by handing out fliers and offering discounts to Ball State University students at their businesses.
The North Loop will run without a fare during weekends until Dec. 15, at which point sponsors will decide whether to continue the service with a fee or discontinue it, Phipps said.
LATE LOOP
Students looking for a ride home from the bars need to find an alternative to the Late Loop.
MITS discontinued the trolley, which ran from downtown Muncie to The Village, because there was not enough patronage and the company could not afford the service, Gaston said.
During the Late Loop's trial period last spring, there were about 5,000 riders during a five-week period, Gaston said, but this fall there was about one-fourth of that amount.
"Numbers last spring were extremely strong," she said. "This fall the numbers have been very disappointing. We don't know why this is happening. There's a lot of speculation as to what the cause might be."
Zac Davis, Student Government Association treasurer, said the organization does not know what to do because students have not voiced their thoughts on the elimination of the Late Loop.
When the Late Loop went on hiatus in September, Davis said, many students approached SGA saying they were concerned that it was gone.
"Students haven't really said anything, which concerns us," he said. "At first, when it was cancelled, there was a huge outcry. Now there's nothing being said. We're at a loss of what students want."
SGA representatives will meet with members of Muncie Downtown Development to discuss ways to bring back the Late Loop, then relay the ideas back to students to hear their comments, Davis said.
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