Mass Transit24

SMART busTiffany Guntersuburban transportation

On the future of Metro Detroit's suburban transit (ft. Tiffany Gunter, SMART)

Although a lot of attention is paid to buses and transit in the city of Detroit, the reality is the vast majority of people in Metro Detroit do not live within the city limits. Although some do, many of their trips to get around don’t involve the city at all.  They’re served by SMART – The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation – and any conversation about transit and linking southeast Michigan together involves their work.  In this conversation with Tiffany Gunter, Depu...

BusMass TransitSMART

On Aug. 7, Vote ‘Yes’ To Support SMART Bus Service

The Detroit region already squandered the latest, best opportunity to invest in our region and sharpen our economic competitiveness, thanks to the intransigence of Oakland and Macomb Counties in stonewalling the latest Regional Transit Authority plan. The refusal of Oakland and Macomb representatives to simply approve putting the proposal before voters this year means we’ll likely have to wait at least two more years to try and resurrect the issue yet again after voters narrowly rejected a sim...

Connect Southeast MichiganMass TransitRTA

PODCAST: Will A New Metro Detroit Regional Transit Plan Even Leave The Stop?

On this week’s Daily Detroit Happy Hour with Sven Gustafson, we talk mass transit. A new plan called “Connect Southeast Michigan” has been put forth by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans (more here)… but does it even have a chance? Does any plan have a chance? The Daily Detroit team walked through some of the speech Evans gave to a Regional Transit Authority Board meeting, a couple of comments, what the plan is and what it could mean.. and had straight talk and openly wondered if there is...

DetroitIndianapolisMass Transit

If Oakland And Macomb Counties Don't Want The Benefits Of Mass Transit, Forget'em

The ongoing saga of regional transit negotiations is like watching a friend tragically go after dating someone they really, really like – but the person that’s the target of their affection just isn’t interested. The reality is a four county transit solution isn’t politically workable here. We should accept that and like Indianapolis, an Amazon top 20 city, move on. One of the things that was surprising on our most recent Daily Detroit Happy Hour podcast was that Indianapolis was a top 20 ci...

Mass TransitRTA

Michael Ford Is Out As Head Of Regional Transit Authority

There’s a change at the top of The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) today. Michael Ford is out as head as CEO of the organization, with the board voting to terminate his $200,000 per year contract. The Board of Directors, according to a news release, appointed Tiffany J. Gunter Interim CEO upon the departure of Michael Ford. Mrs. Gunter will serve in this role until a permanent replacement has been hired. “Michael came to the RTA and served as our first CEO. He was inst...

Airport Serviceann arborDetroit

The Message Is Now Clear On Transit. Ann Arbor, Detroit, Washtenaw And Wayne Should Go It Alone.

Sometimes, you have to take the hint. The Regional Transit Authority Millage – losing by a wide margin in Macomb County (60/40) and a small one in Oakland – isn’t necessarily a surprise, but it should be a signal. The Detroit Regional Chamber and many business leaders signed on to support the RTA proposal. “To say we’re disappointed is an understatement. However, we respect the will of the voters and will continue to seek solutions to connect our region and provide mobility to those without...

DeliveryMass TransitQLINE

Second QLINE Streetcar Arrived Wednesday Night

The second of six QLINE streetcar arrived Wednesday night, according to M1-Rail officials. Each of the three-piece cars are 66 feet long and will carry an average of 125 passengers per car at up to 35 miles per hour. They’ll also have wi-fi, vertical bike racks and climate control. The QLINE will allow for station-level access for pedestrians as well as persons who use mobility assistance devices such as wheelchairs. “M-1 RAIL will be receiving a new vehicle approximately ever five weeks unt...

BusDetroitMass Transit

I'm Riding The New RefleX Bus To Work. Here's What It's Like.

I’ve spent the past couple days riding the new RefleX bus, a limited-stop, express bus service between the suburbs and downtown Detroit, and I’m here to tell you: The Duran Duran song by the same name totally keeps popping into my head. Also, the three-year pilot program is a welcome new transportation service. The RefleX (fle-fle-fle-fle-flex) is a new service from the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan that provides service between the suburbs and central business district se...

Detroit streetcarM1 RailMass Transit

After 60 Years, Detroit Has A Streetcar Again (PICS, VIDEO)

If you doubted that the QLINE/M1-Rail was going to happen, it doesn’t get more real than the first streetcar being delivered. Daily Detroit was on hand in New Center as the first of six streetcars arrived near the Penske Tech Center. These are the first full-service streetcars since 1956 (that’s 60 years) to hit the streets of Detroit. There was a limited trolley from Washington Boulevard to the Rencen for awhile. Over the course of a few hours, the streetcar will be unloaded and placed on t...

Detroit streetcarM1 RailMass Transit

The First Streetcar For Detroit's New QLINE Expected To Arrive Wednesday

If you drive down Woodward from about Grand Boulevard to Campus Martius, you can see the overhead lines being strung up, the rails getting completed and the stations starting to pop up. We’re getting closer to QLINE becoming a reality. The latest news is that the first streetcar from Brookville Equipment Corporation is set to arrive Wednesday, two months ahead of the initially projected timeline, according to information provided by the M1-Rail organization, the nonprofit overseeing the projec...

EditorialFuture of Detroit Mass TransitMass Transit

When It Comes To Transit, Maybe It's Time We Left Brooks Patterson Behind

It’s a common saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As we told you earlier today, the RTA board — after four years of work, and thanks to some last-minute objections from Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson — defeated a proposal to let voters decide whether they want to fund an improved regional mass transit system. To most modern cities, this is the kind of basic thing you just do. Here...

Business LeadersDetroitMass Transit

Business Executives, Other Area Leaders Write Open Letter To Hackel And Patterson Supporting Transit

It’s pretty clear where some of the region’s heavy-hitters in the business community stand on mass transit, especially after a letter sent to the executives signed by nearly three dozen people. In a letter sent to Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, they line out many of the benefits they see in allowing the regional transit plan by the Regional Transit Authority to come to a vote. Dated July 27, 2016 Dear Executives Patterson and Hackel:...

EditorialMass TransitRegional Transit

Metro Detroit's Future Could Go Off The Rails If We Walk Away From The RTA

This is why we can’t have nice things. That was our reaction, along with a cynical shrug of the shoulders, to the news that the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority was forced to postpone voting on its master plan. This, after literally decades of false starts and setbacks that have left the Detroit region a woefully underserved backwater of public transportation, with two competing bus systems and a service area with glaring holes where virtually no transit service exists. The vo...

Mass TransitRTAsoutheastern michigan

Regional Mass Transit Plan Proposal Vote Delayed One Week

Detroit’s been waiting a long time for a cohesive plan for mass transit, and it looks like we’ll have to wait another week to get a final plan. A vote of the board of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan had been scheduled for their meeting today at 2 p.m. to approve the proposal that will go before voters this November, but in a statement, board chairman Paul Hillegonds said they needed more time to study the feedback they’ve gotten from the community – especially around the f...

DetroitMass TransitMotor City Freedom Riders

OPINION: Regional Mass Transit Plan A Giant Step Forward For Metro Detroit

Woodward, Gratiot, Michigan Avenue, and M-59. When a bill to establish a regional transit authority in metro Detroit came before the Michigan Legislature four years ago, it named only those four regional corridors as the agency’s focus, prompting concerns by some – including ourselves – that the authority might overlook the pressing transit needs across our whole region. Thankfully, the draft Regional Master Transit Plan released by the RTA at a series of public meetings this month is so muc...

1915 Subway ProposalDetroit Subway ProposalMass Transit

7 Fantastic Facts About Detroit's Scrapped 1915 Subway Proposal

Did you know that Detroit had a serious proposal to construct a subway? According to a 1915 report at the New York Public Library and on the Internet Archive titled, “On Detroit Street Railway Traffic and Proposed Subway,” we were pretty darn close to joining other major cities with this amenity. At the time, cars were just beginning to be a thing. The city had not only streetcars, but there was an interurban rail system to reach faraway places like Northville, Mt. Clemens and Pontiac....

DetroitMass TransitRTA

Metro Detroit's Future Mass Transit Needs To Be Simple To Use And Seamless

This November, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is expected to propose a millage request to voters in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties to improve public transit in metro Detroit. The plan calls for constructing dedicated bus rapid transit lanes along Gratiot, Michigan and Woodward avenues (see video here); creating commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit; and establishing transit to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The RTA is expected to release its ma...

BRTMass TransitWhat transit would look like in Detroit

Here's What Mass Transit Across Metro Detroit Could Look Like

Since the removal of Detroit’s streetcar system in the 1950s, Detroit’s mass transit system hasn’t been the same. This video by AECOM is a look into what the future could hold for transit in metro Detroit, if a millage is passed in November to fund expanded transit in the region. The video highlights possible BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) routes that would finally connect downtown Detroit to Metro Airport, a route from Detroit to Ann Arbor, and then also up Woodward to Pontiac as well as up Gratiot...