Dozens of Indianapolis cab drivers are huddled at tables, getting tips from hospitality coaches on how to put on a welcoming face for the coming Super Bowl hordes.
Always say "my pleasure" and "have a super day." Be ready to offer recommendations on restaurants, shopping centers, galleries, museums, parks and cultural districts.
And, in a small but important touch, there's this: Follow the "20-12 rule": Make eye contact at 20 feet away, smile at 12 feet.
"Show them your pearly whites!" said Amanda Cecil, an assistant professor of tourism, conventions and event management at Indiana University. Some of the cabbies chuckled. Others thumbed through thick booklets, looking at a series of maps to see which streets will be closed or restricted during the two-week buildup to game day.
When the training is over, there will be a test -- not only for the cabbies, but for a city that has staked a big part of its economic future on hosting major conventions and events.
If all goes well, Indianapolis will be in position to expand a sector that has become one of the city's lifebloods.
But if the city falls on its face? Visitors will leave with a bad impression, and it could take years for the city to mend its reputation.
"If somebody is stuck for hours and misses events, they're going to be frustrated, and that could definitely have a backlash," said Steve Polvin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research Center of the University of South Florida. "You have to execute well."
"Transportation is absolutely key," said Michael Kelly, who directed three Super Bowl host committees in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. "You can't mess it up."
But that could be a tall order. Indianapolis is a city with no trains, an underfunded bus system, a fragmented cab system and a sprawling metropolitan area.
Critics have long said that Indianapolis has one of the worst bus systems of any major city in the nation. Mass transit proponents have pushed for more investment to make the region more competitive with other cities.
The General Assembly is studying a bill that would allow residents of Hamilton and Marion counties to vote for an upgraded bus system and some rail service. But the issue has yet to gain widespread support.
Now, with mobs of visitors about to descend on the city, it remains unclear whether Indianapolis can move them around.
Unlike some other big events that the city hosts, from the Indianapolis 500 to the State Fair, a huge percentage of the visitors will be coming in by airplane and will need wheels to get them around the city.
Ready for the crush?
Across Indianapolis, all the key players are girding to meet the expected crush in demand. Rental car companies are bringing in cars from as far away as Chicago; Louisville, Ky.; and Dayton, Ohio. Limo companies are bracing for thousands of VIPs who are used to being pampered. IndyGo is nearly doubling service on its Green Line Airport Express between the airport and Downtown hotels.
And taxi companies are telling hundreds of drivers to be ready for long days and huge crowds. But the upside for cab drivers: higher fares for many trips. The city is preparing to set up a new taxi-zone grid with flat fares on trips that begin or end Downtown. A trip from Downtown to the airport will cost $50, rather than the current metered fare, which now runs about $35. (See map for more information.)
It all adds up to an ambitious plan with dozens of parts, more than a year in the making.
"We've collaborated with every major player and tried to look at every angle," said Mel Raines, vice president of event operations at the Super Bowl Host Committee.
But is Indianapolis really ready?
It's a question that is tough to answer before the masses arrive. The city has hosted plenty of big events over the years, from the Indianapolis 500 to the NCAA Final Four basketball championships. But this will be the highest-visibility event of them all, with visitors filling hotels from Kokomo to Bloomington. Tens of thousands of people will flood into Downtown to attend parties and ceremonies for the better part of a week.
They could push the transportation system to its limits.
Of course, Indianapolis has plenty going for it. The city's biggest asset is a compact Downtown, with major events staged within walking distance of many hotels.
Last year, North Texas battled the opposite dynamic. Hundreds of Super Bowl-related events were spread across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, with the game played between the two cities in suburban Arlington. Complicating matters were ice and snow storms that hit just days before the game, in a region not used to winter storms.
But even though most Indianapolis events will be concentrated in or near Downtown, tens of thousands of fans will be staying at hotels farther out. So moving people around Indy still will be one of the city's chief challenges.
To meet that challenge, the Super Bowl Host Committee put together a massive battle plan, with advice from previous Super Bowl cities and cooperation from local police, traffic engineers, taxi companies, IndyGo, the Indiana Department of Transportation and other key players.
The result is spelled out in a detailed website. On it, visitors can see which roads will be closed, where to find a taxi stand, where the big events will take place, and where to park and catch a shuttle. (Visit www .indianapolissuperbowl.com and click on "Transportation and Parking.")
Local officials say the key to success is making sure people know about the plans. So far, that seems to be happening. The website has been getting more than 30,000 hits a day in recent weeks, with "Transportation and Parking" one of the top three areas people click on.
"If folks take the time to understand all the options," Raines said, "I think they'll have a good experience."
Still, with the biggest events just more than a week away, people who drive for a living can already feel the adrenaline rush.
Indianapolis Yellow Cab, the city's largest taxi company with 175 cars, has beefed up its driver ranks by about 15 percent through aggressive recruiting and training. "We will be at maximum utilization," said Tim Neville, Yellow Cab's operations manager.
Enough cabs?
Overall, Indianapolis has about 700 licensed cabs to serve a metro area of 1.7 million people. Or about 3.9 cabs per 10,000 people.
How does that compare with previous Super Bowl host cities? Not bad, actually. Miami, which has hosted 10 Super Bowls (most recently in 2007 and 2010), has an identical ratio, according to the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, a nonprofit trade group.
The difference, of course, is that Miami is much larger -- with about 2,100 cabs to move all the people around.
Dallas-Fort Worth, last year's Super Bowl host, had 2,000 cabs, for a ratio of 3-to-1 -- about the same as Indianapolis. And even there, availability was a sore point.
But don't look for Indy's cab fleet to grow much for the game. The Host Committee has decided against bringing in outside cars and drivers for fear they would not be up to speed on the city's roads and landmarks. Cab drivers say they can hardly wait for what they hope will be unprecedented fares and tips. "It's going to be wonderful. I'm going to be retired after the Super Bowl," joked Abdal Rhrim, a driver with Indy First Choice Cab Service.
To meet the expected crush, the city has designated cab stands just west of the Statehouse and along Virginia Avenue, north of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The biggest demand is expected to be right after the game ends.
Jeremiah Shirk, manager of transportation and logistics for the Host Committee, advised taxi drivers at a recent training session "to pull into those cab stands, load and go," rather than cruise the streets endlessly looking for fares. The city's edict: no pickups or drop-offs at Lucas Oil Stadium for security and logistical reasons.
Limo companies and car-rental agencies are bulking up their fleets and expecting to sell out.
"The big cars are going to go fast," said Phil Spink, chief operating officer for the company that operates Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car.
Shuttles will help
Downtown Indianapolis hotels have only 7,000 rooms. So what does that mean for visitors who will be staying far from Downtown -- in Fishers, Greenwood or beyond?
They will have to think creatively for ways to get around. Some communities such as Zionsville and Carmel are adding shuttle service to Downtown Indianapolis. Hotels also may operate regular shuttles.
Once Downtown, those on foot can jump on privately operated circulator shuttles that will stop in key places, such as one between Fountain Square and Massachusetts Avenue in the days before the game.
But don't count on finding lots of extra city bus service. IndyGo officials said they were doing what they could to help move people around during the big week. The system will offer free rides Thursday through Sunday on every route except for the airport Green Line. It is also planning to beef up capacity on the airport route.
Other than service to the airport, IndyGo does not plan to add routes or buses. Around Downtown, it is planning only minor detours to avoid closed roads.
That's worrisome to Curt Ailes, a local blogger who frequently advocates for transit. As it is, buses on IndyGo's busiest outbound routes come only every 30 minutes at peak times, much longer apart at other times.
With the issue of authorizing a transit referendum struggling to maintain traction at the Statehouse, Ailes sees the Super Bowl as an opportunity to bolster the case for expanding public transportation.
"It'd be a great time to say that if we had better rapid transit, we could have avoided some of the (coming) headaches and $300 parking fees" at some Downtown lots and garages, Ailes said.
But officials sound confident that, overall, Indianapolis is ready.
"I think we will be well equipped," said Amy Vaughn, director of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development. "The planning has been very thorough."
The big test will come Feb. 5, when millions of people around the world tune in to see how Indianapolis has performed.
Always say "my pleasure" and "have a super day." Be ready to offer recommendations on restaurants, shopping centers, galleries, museums, parks and cultural districts.
And, in a small but important touch, there's this: Follow the "20-12 rule": Make eye contact at 20 feet away, smile at 12 feet.
"Show them your pearly whites!" said Amanda Cecil, an assistant professor of tourism, conventions and event management at Indiana University. Some of the cabbies chuckled. Others thumbed through thick booklets, looking at a series of maps to see which streets will be closed or restricted during the two-week buildup to game day.
When the training is over, there will be a test -- not only for the cabbies, but for a city that has staked a big part of its economic future on hosting major conventions and events.
If all goes well, Indianapolis will be in position to expand a sector that has become one of the city's lifebloods.
But if the city falls on its face? Visitors will leave with a bad impression, and it could take years for the city to mend its reputation.
"If somebody is stuck for hours and misses events, they're going to be frustrated, and that could definitely have a backlash," said Steve Polvin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research Center of the University of South Florida. "You have to execute well."
"Transportation is absolutely key," said Michael Kelly, who directed three Super Bowl host committees in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. "You can't mess it up."
But that could be a tall order. Indianapolis is a city with no trains, an underfunded bus system, a fragmented cab system and a sprawling metropolitan area.
Critics have long said that Indianapolis has one of the worst bus systems of any major city in the nation. Mass transit proponents have pushed for more investment to make the region more competitive with other cities.
The General Assembly is studying a bill that would allow residents of Hamilton and Marion counties to vote for an upgraded bus system and some rail service. But the issue has yet to gain widespread support.
Now, with mobs of visitors about to descend on the city, it remains unclear whether Indianapolis can move them around.
Unlike some other big events that the city hosts, from the Indianapolis 500 to the State Fair, a huge percentage of the visitors will be coming in by airplane and will need wheels to get them around the city.
Ready for the crush?
Across Indianapolis, all the key players are girding to meet the expected crush in demand. Rental car companies are bringing in cars from as far away as Chicago; Louisville, Ky.; and Dayton, Ohio. Limo companies are bracing for thousands of VIPs who are used to being pampered. IndyGo is nearly doubling service on its Green Line Airport Express between the airport and Downtown hotels.
And taxi companies are telling hundreds of drivers to be ready for long days and huge crowds. But the upside for cab drivers: higher fares for many trips. The city is preparing to set up a new taxi-zone grid with flat fares on trips that begin or end Downtown. A trip from Downtown to the airport will cost $50, rather than the current metered fare, which now runs about $35. (See map for more information.)
It all adds up to an ambitious plan with dozens of parts, more than a year in the making.
"We've collaborated with every major player and tried to look at every angle," said Mel Raines, vice president of event operations at the Super Bowl Host Committee.
But is Indianapolis really ready?
It's a question that is tough to answer before the masses arrive. The city has hosted plenty of big events over the years, from the Indianapolis 500 to the NCAA Final Four basketball championships. But this will be the highest-visibility event of them all, with visitors filling hotels from Kokomo to Bloomington. Tens of thousands of people will flood into Downtown to attend parties and ceremonies for the better part of a week.
They could push the transportation system to its limits.
Of course, Indianapolis has plenty going for it. The city's biggest asset is a compact Downtown, with major events staged within walking distance of many hotels.
Last year, North Texas battled the opposite dynamic. Hundreds of Super Bowl-related events were spread across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, with the game played between the two cities in suburban Arlington. Complicating matters were ice and snow storms that hit just days before the game, in a region not used to winter storms.
But even though most Indianapolis events will be concentrated in or near Downtown, tens of thousands of fans will be staying at hotels farther out. So moving people around Indy still will be one of the city's chief challenges.
To meet that challenge, the Super Bowl Host Committee put together a massive battle plan, with advice from previous Super Bowl cities and cooperation from local police, traffic engineers, taxi companies, IndyGo, the Indiana Department of Transportation and other key players.
The result is spelled out in a detailed website. On it, visitors can see which roads will be closed, where to find a taxi stand, where the big events will take place, and where to park and catch a shuttle. (Visit www .indianapolissuperbowl.com and click on "Transportation and Parking.")
Local officials say the key to success is making sure people know about the plans. So far, that seems to be happening. The website has been getting more than 30,000 hits a day in recent weeks, with "Transportation and Parking" one of the top three areas people click on.
"If folks take the time to understand all the options," Raines said, "I think they'll have a good experience."
Still, with the biggest events just more than a week away, people who drive for a living can already feel the adrenaline rush.
Indianapolis Yellow Cab, the city's largest taxi company with 175 cars, has beefed up its driver ranks by about 15 percent through aggressive recruiting and training. "We will be at maximum utilization," said Tim Neville, Yellow Cab's operations manager.
Enough cabs?
Overall, Indianapolis has about 700 licensed cabs to serve a metro area of 1.7 million people. Or about 3.9 cabs per 10,000 people.
How does that compare with previous Super Bowl host cities? Not bad, actually. Miami, which has hosted 10 Super Bowls (most recently in 2007 and 2010), has an identical ratio, according to the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, a nonprofit trade group.
The difference, of course, is that Miami is much larger -- with about 2,100 cabs to move all the people around.
Dallas-Fort Worth, last year's Super Bowl host, had 2,000 cabs, for a ratio of 3-to-1 -- about the same as Indianapolis. And even there, availability was a sore point.
But don't look for Indy's cab fleet to grow much for the game. The Host Committee has decided against bringing in outside cars and drivers for fear they would not be up to speed on the city's roads and landmarks. Cab drivers say they can hardly wait for what they hope will be unprecedented fares and tips. "It's going to be wonderful. I'm going to be retired after the Super Bowl," joked Abdal Rhrim, a driver with Indy First Choice Cab Service.
To meet the expected crush, the city has designated cab stands just west of the Statehouse and along Virginia Avenue, north of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The biggest demand is expected to be right after the game ends.
Jeremiah Shirk, manager of transportation and logistics for the Host Committee, advised taxi drivers at a recent training session "to pull into those cab stands, load and go," rather than cruise the streets endlessly looking for fares. The city's edict: no pickups or drop-offs at Lucas Oil Stadium for security and logistical reasons.
Limo companies and car-rental agencies are bulking up their fleets and expecting to sell out.
"The big cars are going to go fast," said Phil Spink, chief operating officer for the company that operates Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car.
Shuttles will help
Downtown Indianapolis hotels have only 7,000 rooms. So what does that mean for visitors who will be staying far from Downtown -- in Fishers, Greenwood or beyond?
They will have to think creatively for ways to get around. Some communities such as Zionsville and Carmel are adding shuttle service to Downtown Indianapolis. Hotels also may operate regular shuttles.
Once Downtown, those on foot can jump on privately operated circulator shuttles that will stop in key places, such as one between Fountain Square and Massachusetts Avenue in the days before the game.
But don't count on finding lots of extra city bus service. IndyGo officials said they were doing what they could to help move people around during the big week. The system will offer free rides Thursday through Sunday on every route except for the airport Green Line. It is also planning to beef up capacity on the airport route.
Other than service to the airport, IndyGo does not plan to add routes or buses. Around Downtown, it is planning only minor detours to avoid closed roads.
That's worrisome to Curt Ailes, a local blogger who frequently advocates for transit. As it is, buses on IndyGo's busiest outbound routes come only every 30 minutes at peak times, much longer apart at other times.
With the issue of authorizing a transit referendum struggling to maintain traction at the Statehouse, Ailes sees the Super Bowl as an opportunity to bolster the case for expanding public transportation.
"It'd be a great time to say that if we had better rapid transit, we could have avoided some of the (coming) headaches and $300 parking fees" at some Downtown lots and garages, Ailes said.
But officials sound confident that, overall, Indianapolis is ready.
"I think we will be well equipped," said Amy Vaughn, director of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development. "The planning has been very thorough."
The big test will come Feb. 5, when millions of people around the world tune in to see how Indianapolis has performed.
