bus

Commission puts brakes on money for expanded bus service between Lansing and Detroit Metro Airport

Steve Carmody — Thu, 30 May 2013 03:19:28 +0000

A federal grant to expand bus service between Lansing and Detroit Metro Airport is stalled.

The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission split nine to nine on authorizing a $600,000 grant to help the Michigan Flyer expand its daily trips from eight to twelve. The commissioner with the potential tie-breaking vote did not attend Wednesday night’s meeting.

State and federal transportation agencies have already approved the grant, which would essentially help offset the costs for the first few months of the added service between East Lansing an

Supporters rally to keep Grand Rapids suburb connected to metro bus sytem

Lindsey Smith — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:28:09 +0000

People in the Grand Rapids suburb of Walker will vote this November on whether to withdraw from the regional bus system. Now transportation supporters are fighting back.

Supporters of the bus system in metro Grand Rapid held a kick-off rally in defense of the bus sytem, known as The Rapid.

Barbara Holt is a Walker City Commissioner and chairwoman of the regional transit authority. She and other business leaders at the rally said keeping Walker connected is vital to the overall community's economy.

“People can stay in Walker, go shopping someplace else, go working someplace else but we all come back. It’s so important that we do not isolate ourselves from the region,” Holt said.

“I use it for work, when I was working on my masters degree I used for school, medical appointments. I use it for everything,” Walker resident Tom Gilson said.

Voters in Grand Rapids suburb could withdraw from regional bus system

Lindsey Smith — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:24:36 +0000

Voters in a Grand Rapids suburb will decide in November whether the city should withdraw from the regional bus system.

This week the City of Walker certified petition signatures collected by the Kent County Taxpayers Alliance.

Ben Reisterer lives in Walker and is with the alliance.

"We’re not against busing at all. We think it’s a good thing for the community. But we don’t necessarily agree with the way they are going about providing that service," Reisterer said.

Bus ridership up - except in Detroit

Tracy Samilton — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:00:19 +0000

Several cities in Michigan saw large increases in bus ridership in the first quarter of this year.

But the state's largest city saw a decline.

Bus ridership on "The Rapid" jumped 12% in the Grand Rapids metro area.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Kalczuk says more people use the bus when gas prices go up.

Some in Grand Rapids suburbs want out of bus system

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Today some people in the Cities of Granville and Walker will begin collecting signatures to get their cities out of the partnership that runs the bus system in metro Grand Rapids. It’s called The Rapid.

Grand Rapids-area bus system improvements begin today

Lindsey Smith — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Rapid busses start a new schedule Monday that will better serve riders late at night, on the weekends, and more frequently during the workday. The bus service is improving thanks to a millage voters passed back in May.

High-speed buses, instead of light rail, make sense for Detroit

Jack Lessenberry — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:23:03 +0000

There’s a sense of gloom throughout the mass transit community in Michigan today. Earlier this week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he was canceling the long-talked about light rail line to be built up Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

SMART cuts take effect today

Sarah Hulett — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Beginning today, tens of thousands of people who use metro Detroit’s suburban bus system will see their options dramatically limited. The cash-strapped SMART system is cutting 15 routes on weekdays, and it’s terminating some routes at Detroit’s city limits.

Megan Owens of the advocacy group Transportation Riders United says the downriver area will be hit the hardest – losing several major routes. "And then really, anyone who’s going to be traveling between Detroit and the suburbs anytime other than rush hours will really be hit very hard by having to transfer to a D-DOT bus to continue their trip."

D-DOT is the system that serves the city of Detroit, and has its own set of problems. Declining tax revenues due to drops in property values, fewer federal dollars, and the SMART system’s inability to win concessions from its unions are blamed for the cuts.

Bus crisis in the Motor City leaves riders stranded

Sarah Hulett — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:04:23 +0000

James Hill lives in Detroit and uses the bus every day. And he says he’s learned to dedicate hours to getting from point A to point B.

People who need to catch the bus to work or school in Detroit are in a jam. On any given day, about half the city’s buses are parked, waiting for repairs. That, in turn, means hours-long waits at bus stops.

Hill said he took the bus to visit his son in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. He left the hospital at 4 o’clock in the afternoon…

Details of the $46.7 million in federal transit money coming to Michigan

Mark Brush — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:22:26 +0000

We reported last week about the federal money coming to the state, and Sarah Hulett reported on more details released yesterday.

In case you missed it, here's how the $46.7 million from Federal Transit Administration’s Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability, and State of Good Repair grant program is broken up in Michigan:

Federal grants fund 11 public transportation projects in Michigan

Lindsey Smith — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:57:49 +0000

Nine public transportation systems in Michigan have won competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grants announced Thursday total nearly $44 million.

Massive cuts coming to Detroit-area bus service

Sarah Hulett — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:28:25 +0000

Southeast Michigan’s regional bus system is getting ready to make massive cuts to its service.

Declining tax revenues due to drops in property values, fewer federal dollars, and the SMART system’s inability to win concessions from its unions are the reasons behind the cuts.

The system is looking at a 22 percent cut to its service, affecting 30 of its 53 routes.

"Certainly this is a tragedy," said SMART’s Beth Gibbons. "It’s not going to be easy for the thousands of people who depend on our service every day to get to work and to school."

Public hearings on the proposed cuts are scheduled for the first week of November. The changes could take effect as early as December 12.

About 40,000 people a day ride SMART busses.

Volunteers work to get out the vote in Grand Rapids

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:32:17 +0000

Voters in Grand Rapids and 5 surrounding cities are voting Tuesday on a millage increase to support expanded public transportation.

Lizbeth Espinoza and Michael Tuffelmire walk into small Mexican super market in the mostly-Hispanic Roosevelt Park neighborhood. Tuffelmire says many people here aren’t aware there are any other elections but the big one in November.

That's part of the reason they’re driving around a passenger van, picking up anyone who needs a ride to vote.

“I’m just trying to just, no matter what people want to vote, I’m trying to make easier access for them," Tuffelmire said.

Bus ridership is up in Michigan (but so are fuel prices)

Steve Carmody — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:59:59 +0000

It appears rising gasoline prices are getting more people to ride public transportation in Michigan. But that’s a double edged sword for local bus systems.

It will be a few months before all the numbers are in, but Clark Harder with the Michigan Public Transit Association says, demand for bus service is up. He says more and more people are opting to take the bus, because it’s getting too expensive to fill up their own gas tank.

Driver sick-out idles dozens of Detroit busses

Sarah Hulett — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Bus service has been disrupted in Detroit today, with dozens of drivers calling in sick to attend a labor rally in Lansing.

Lovevett Williams is with the city of Detroit’s Department of Transportation. She said the sick-out cut bus service by about 20 percent.

"Leaving Islam" - Anti-Muslim group wins legal round against suburban Detroit bus system

Steve Carmody — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:52:30 +0000

An anti-Muslim group might be closer to getting its message on the sides of city buses in Detroit. The American Freedom Defense Initiative bought 4 thousand dollars worth of advertising on Detroit buses last April. But the bus system objected to language used on the posters, which talked about ‘Leaving Islam’.