Muncie may seem like a car-centric city, but transportation alternatives exist to help students travel to places on and off campus.
Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS), according to the MITS website
Four MITS routes run through campus:
Ball State University
Ball State Jackson
Walmart North/Riverside
Walmart North/University
You can visit Muncie Mall by traveling downtown on one of these routes and transferring to Route 4: Mall. You can visit Minnetrista by transferring to Route 3: Northwest Plaza or Route 6: North Walnut, according to the website.
The MITS is free for students with a Ball State ID. Food and drinks, including cups with a lid, are not allowed on the buses.
MITS routes and schedules are built into Google Maps. You can get on the bus at any intersection along the route, as long as the intersection does not have a right-turn only lane.
The buses don’t run on Sundays and have a limited schedule on Saturdays. You can track schedules in real time with the MITSBus app.
Be sure to have a face mask handy when you hop on the bus, as drivers are still requesting passengers wear them.
BSU shuttle:
Download the TransLoc Rider app to track Ball State shuttles in real time.
There are four routes:
Red loop, which goes from the L.A. Pittenger Student Center to the north commuter lot.
Orange loop, which goes from the Student Center to North Oakwood Avenue.
Green loop, which goes from the Student Center to Scheumann Stadium.
Blue loop, which goes around North McKinley, West University, West Riverside and Neely avenues and North Linden Street.
Biking
While some of Muncie’s streets have bike lanes, most do not.
Bikes can be parked at any bike rack for free on campus, according to Ball State’s website. You may register a bike with the University Police Department (UPD), which makes it easier for police to locate the bike in the event it is stolen.
To prevent theft, UPD recommends using quality-style locks, like a U-lock. Students can also rent a bike locker at various locations on campus, including the residence halls and Anthony Apartments for $50 for the academic year, if the bike locker contract is submitted to the Housing and Residence Life office before the first day of classes.
Charlie’s Charter
Charlie’s Charter is a shuttle service that runs after dark to pick up and drop off students on university-owned property. It is useful during the hours after Ball State shuttles stop their routes.
To get a shuttle ride, call 765-285-5005 and wait for a van driver. Each Charlie’s Charter van is limited to four students at a time and face masks are required.
Charlie’s Charter runs from the hours of 6 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.