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_(1).jpg) South Bend Transpo bus in 2015 | |
| Headquarters | 1401 S. Lafayette Blvd |
|---|---|
| Locale | South Bend, Indiana |
| Service area | South Bend &Mishawaka Metropolitan Area |
| Service type | Local bus, express bus, andparatransit |
| Routes | 20 |
| Hubs | South Street Station (South Bend) and Mishawaka Transfer Center (Mishawaka) |
| Fleet | 60 vehicles[1] |
| Daily ridership | 5,000 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 1,401,300 (2024)[3] |
| Fuel type | Biodiesel andNatural Gas |
| Chief executive | Amy Hill, General Manager & CEO[4] |
| Website | sbtranspo |
TheSouth Bend Public Transportation Corporation (commonly known asTranspo) is a municipal bus system that serves the cities ofSouth Bend andMishawaka, as well as the nearby suburbs ofNotre Dame andRoseland, in the very north of theU.S. state ofIndiana. It is the most recent incarnation of the South Bend Railway Company, a street railway company that was founded on May 25, 1885.[5] Transpo receives funding from local, state and federal taxes.[6] In 2024, the system had a ridership of 1,401,300, or about 5,000 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
TRANSPO is a hub-and-spoke system, with routes radiating from the center towards the outward corners of the metropolitan area. It is made up of 18 fixed bus routes. It also operates an on-demandparatransit service. In Mishawaka, it serves as ade facto school bus service. South Street Station serves as a system hub, linking together most of the routes.
The system runs Monday-Saturday, operating 5:50 AM – 10:00 PM on weekdays and 6:00 AM – 6:45 PM on Saturdays. It does not operate on Sundays or major holidays.[7] All buses are equipped with bike racks. In 2014, Transpo began converting the aging fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) with the arrival of 14 New Flyer buses.
TRANSPO has 18 individual routes and 1 additional “Gameday Express” service forNotre Dame home games.
The fares have been increased several times during the system's history. The most recent increase was on April 5, 2010. Certain passes can be purchased on smartphones by using the Token Transit App. The fares are now the following:[8]
University of Notre Dame,Saint Mary's College students, faculty and staff can ride for free provided they show a valid ID. As of January 2012, Ivy Tech Students can ride with a student ID and validation sticker (sticker is available for $20 from Ivy Tech).Holy Cross students pay regular fare.
Route 4 stops at theSouth Bend International Airport. The airport doubles as a regional transit hub.Coach USA[9] buses stop there (and formerlyGreyhound Lines buses[10]), and the airport terminal building incorporates theeponymous South Shore Line station. TheSouth Shore Line links South Bend to the city of Chicago, making stops at cities, villages and other miscellaneous municipalities throughout Northern Indiana. Route 2 stops at thecity's Amtrak station.[11] Route 5 connects toNiles DART Route 2 at the Auten Rd/933 stop Monday-Friday.[12] Route 9 links up with theInterurban Trolley system's Bittersweet/Mishawaka Route at Twin Branch Park. The route linksMishawaka to DowntownElkhart.[13]
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South Street Station is the primary hub of the system. It is located in Downtown South Bend. The station includes a 14,800 square foot (1,370 m2) building containing waiting areas,public restrooms, and other facilities.[14]
The system's secondary transfer center is the Mishawaka Transfer Center, located in Downtown Mishawaka.[15] The station is also served by theInterurban Trolley.[16]
In the early 2000s, there had been consideration given to moving the transfer center from its location at Fourth Street and Church Street to a location closer to theSt. Joseph River. This proposal would have seen the station initially moved to location fronting First Street on the block between Mill Street and Spring Street.[17] This block had been home to a previous Transpo transfer center that had been opened in October 1978.[18] Plans were for this site to potentially be a temporary location, with plans to build a permanent facility on the formerUniroyal land along the St. Joseph River.[17]
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