INDIANAPOLIS — The restrooms at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center have been closed for two years, and patience is wearing thin among riders.
The lobby is also closed, meaning riders have nowhere to seek shelter from inclement weather.
"In the winter, you can be standing out for 45 minutes," IndyGo passenger Trumyna Highbaugh said. "And they don't have a warm bus for you to sit on, so you just have to stand out there and wait on your bus."
According to a spokesperson for IndyGo, the center was closed in March 2020 as a COVID-19 safety precaution.
"I feel like they should be open," Highbaugh said. "Because it's (COVID-19) not that bad anymore."
Wayd McCray rides with IndyGo six days a week and thinks it's time to reopen the transit center.
"It's bad if you have kids," McCray said. "They can't use the bathroom, and they just have to hold it. It's terrible."
Steven Parker has a long commute to work on IndyGo five days a week.
"I wake up about two hours before work, have to get here and wait for the bus," Parker said. "Then it takes about 45 minutes to get to work. Then when I get off of work — I take two hours to get back home."
Parker said that if he needs to use the restroom during his commute, it's nearly impossible to find one.
"You can't go around here and use the restroom because they got no public restrooms for the people," Parker said.
The $26 million transit center opened in 2016, and closed four years later. Now, riders can only go inside to buy tickets, and must leave right after the transaction. A spokesperson for IndyGo said there's no timeline to reopen the bathrooms.
"They really shouldn't have the bathrooms closed," Highbaugh said. "Not with how much we spend every day on bus passes."
A spokesperson for IndyGo provided WRTV with the following statement:
"IndyGo closed the restrooms at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center two years ago in response to COVID, as a safety precaution for our employees who work in the building and our partners from the Marion County Public Health Department who operate a free COVID vaccine clinic inside three days a week. We apologize for any inconvenience this restriction may cause riders with a longer transfer wait time. However, the retail desk inside the CTC is open for riders to purchase fare and pick up printed maps.”
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