The South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (d.b.a.: transpo) is the public transit district serving the town of South Bend, IN, as well as the town of Mishawaka, IN. Additionally, the system serves the nearby suburbs of Notre Dame & Roseland.
Agency Snapshot
Established: January 1, 1968.
The agency’s predecessor – the South Bend Railway Company – was founded on May 25, 1885.
Services Provided: Local & Express (fixed-route) Bus, Paratransit Van Service.
Number of Fixed Bus Routes: 20.
Number of Revenue Vehicles: Roughly 50 fixed-route buses. At least 10 Paratransit vans.
Number of Major Transit Hubs: 2.
Photo: South Street Station, transpo’s main transit hub.
System Overview
Like many transit systems, transpo operates on a hub-spoke system – where fixed bus routes originate out of a central hub. The system’s main hub is the South Street Station in the downtown South Bend – which was originally designed to be a mulitmodal hub for nearly all of its system routes, Amtrak services, & intercity bus services. However, the Amtrak component never materialized – leaving customers to have to travel 2.5 miles west to the existing Amtrak station. The South Street Station serves Routes 1, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ,9, 10, 11, 12 (Weekday), 12/14 (Saturday), 14 (Weekday), & 16.
The Mishawaka Transfer Center in Mishawaka serves as a secondary hub – serving Routes 1, 9, 11, 15A, 15B, & the Yellow Line (Interurban Trolley) route to Elkhart.
Buses operate Monday through Saturday only. There is no service on Sundays & many major holidays.
View the transpo System Map.
System Routes
Please visit the transpo site for current schedules & route maps.
- Route 1: Madison/Mishawaka
- Route 3A: Portage via Elwood/Marquette
- Route 3B: Portage via Lathrop/Boland
- Route 4: Lincolnway/Airport
- Route 5: North Michigan
- Route 6: South Michigan
- Route 7: Notre Dame/UP Mall
- Route 8: Miami/Scottsdale
- Route 9: Northside/Mishawaka
- Route 10: Western
- Route 11: Southside/Mishawka
- Route 12: Rum Village (Weekdays Only)
- Route 12/14: Rum Village/Sample (Saturdays Only)
- Route 14: Sample/Mayflower (Weekdays Only)
- Route 15A: UP Mall/Mishawaka via Main
- Route 15B: UP Mall/Mishawaka via Grape
- Route 16: Blackthorn Express/II
- Route 17: Sweep
- The Interurban Trolley – Yellow Line
Additionally, transpo operates a Gameday Express shuttle during University of Notre Dame home football games & various K-12 school trippers. Further information about these services can be found on the transpo website when they are active.
Fare Structure
transpo accepts cash payment for one-way fares, as well as day passes. Rather than a monthly pass, the agency offers a two-week pass. The agency is also running a pilot project using the Token Transit app.
Please visit the transpo site for current fare information.
Vehicle Fleet
transpo operates a fixed-route bus fleet comprising of Gillig diesel & New Flyer CNG buses – with the former slowly being replaced by the latter.
| Unit # | Model Year | Manufacturer | Model/Length/ Propulsion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203, 205, 206 | 2002 | Gillig | Low Floor Diesel – 35′ | Most units are retired |
| 301, 310 | 2003 | Gillig | Low Floor Diesel – 35′ | Most units are retired |
| 401, 404-407, 409-414, 416, 418, 419, 421 | 2004 | Gillig | Low Floor Diesel – 35′ | Some units are retired |
| 1401-1416 | 2014 | New Flyer | Xcelsior CNG (XN35) – 35′ | |
| 1501-1503 | 2015 | New Flyer | Xcelsior CNG (XN35) – 35′ | |
| 1701-1703 | 2017 | New Flyer | Xcelsior CNG (XN35) – 35′ | |
| 2101-2109 | 2021 | New Flyer | Xcelsior CNG (XN35) – 35′ |
The Global Transit Guidebook 