Transportation master plan outlines big changes for Detroit-area service

This year, public transportation services in Detroit are undergoing major changes.

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) is finalizing its annual master plan, with a vision for service improvements and strategies to address long-running challenges. The RTA coordinates with and directs funding to public transit agencies serving residents in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

The upcoming NFL Draft in Detroit and a governor-appointed task force studying population challenges are putting more focus on current transit systems and how they are serving residents and visitors. The Detroit Department of Transportation this year is studying how to increase bus frequency and reliability. The Q-LINE is considering a transfer of management to the RTA and the Detroit People Mover is offering free rides while modernizing its system for a growing number of downtown residents. 

Related:

• Lawmakers tell Detroiters: ‘Get more intense’ on public transit demands
• Shift in QLINE management could bring streetcar expansion
• QLINE’s limitations reflect regional transit failures holding back Detroiters
• Detroiters share public transit frustrations, potential solutions

Ridership across the region has not returned to pre-pandemic levels; there were 22.8 million rides taken in Southeast Michigan in 2023 compared to 41 million in 2019. The master plan attributes part of the decline to pandemic-related work from home policies and notes that the pandemic also shifted public transit use away from the traditional schedule around commuting for work. 

Further complicating service, transit agencies also face hiring and retention challenges, worsened by an aging population of transit workers.

RTA Executive Director Ben Stupka had an extended conversation with BridgeDetroit about the master plan’s highlights and transit changes coming in 2024. 

Editor’s note: This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

BridgeDetroit: What is a master plan? 

Stupka: It’s a roadmap for transit priorities in the region that helps us collect feedback from the public and our transit providers. It documents what’s going on, what are the successes and challenges we’re having across the region: Ridership recovery as we get further from the COVID pandemic, workforce issues, federal funding opportunities. 

We’re trying to boil down 10 priority areas that we want to execute to move the region forward. It is important for folks to understand that this is an annual update. We’re always collecting what’s new, what’s fresh, what’s happening. 

We are responsible for all the federal and state money that comes to the region. There’s a lot of conversations about local bus operating money that actually comes to the RTA and we distribute it to the providers. 

We’re responsible for accelerating. What are the things we can do to start achieving goals, showing people new services? Things like the D2A2 service, through our planning process we’ve identified people who want a connection with Ann Arbor and Detroit. The RTA was able to get funding to get this up and running. 

We plan, coordinate, fund, and accelerate.

BridgeDetroit: When will the new express bus to DTW be available?

Stupka: We’re hoping for a soft launch in late March before the Midwest regionals for March Madness in the last week of the month. We’re looking to run it for at least a year. 

The downtown pickup and drop off point is on Washington Boulevard across from the Book Cadillac Hotel. We’re working on some amenities for that, shelters and other things. Also, hopefully, some park and ride options for folks. 

We’re scheduling 16 round trips, the schedules will be tuned to pick flight times so we’re working with Michigan Flyer, which does air ride services out of Ann Arbor. It’ll stop at both terminals and run 365 days per year. 

We’re looking at the highest fares being in the $12 to $15 range and discount options similar to what’s offered for the D2A2. We want to see how airport workers may interact with this service and looking at passbook options for people who may want to take it more frequently. 

This is a complement to the FAST Michigan service which also connects to the airport. That will continue.

BridgeDetroit: We hear a lot from folks who want better protection at bus shelters. What’s being done to improve bus stop conditions?

Stupka: SMART is doing its own bus stop condition assessment in the next couple of months. They have 5,000-plus bus stops. I don’t think they’ve done a real comprehensive inventory of them. DDOT is trying to do a similar thing. 

The RTA’s focus is developing a program we call Access to Transit. We’re getting some grant money to work with local governments and transit providers and make investments, really with a focus on pedestrian safety and street crossing safety around bus stops. We’re looking at bike access and bus shelters if we can fit them. 

The city of Detroit also got a large grant to look at pedestrian safety around bus stops. This is a very fruitful area for coordination. 

The humble bus stop is where all urban planning connects. As we’re working on the longer term issues, if we can make it safe to get to bus stops, make it more connected, we’re making a good investment. 

BridgeDetroit: What does transportation funding look like for 2025-26 in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new budget proposal? 

Stupka: There’s $30 million proposed to fund regional transit initiatives. We’re doing research to understand what (the governor’s office) is hoping for with that funding. 

Last year, the Legislature was able to find $40 million in additional funding to increase the local bus operating fund. That one-time money is not in the governor’s budget for next year.

The governor’s budget is proposing about $215 million in local bus operating funding (down from around $260 million last year). We’re pushing hard to see if we can get up to the number we had last year. 

The state can provide up to 50% of any community’s bus operating budget. So if the operating budget is $100 million, the state can provide up to $50 million. The state has only appropriated enough funding for 30%. 

We’re pushing for not only restoring the funding that was there last year but also pushing closer to that 50% number. 

BridgeDetroit: The master plan makes it clear that long-term and sustainable funding is needed to complete transformational transit projects in the region. The RTA is authorized to collect a property tax millage with voter approval. Are there plans to put something on the ballot in 2024 or 2026? 

Stupka: Our focus this year is really on the state to state budget and what we can do to build up pilot projects and secure federal grants. I think 2026 is probably a more viable opportunity for us to look at larger funding opportunities. 

There’s a lot that goes into that. My contention has always been that the stronger the RTA – and the stronger the providers are, the more creative we are, the more we’re accelerating services, showing that we’re really trying to push the agenda forward – the better we’ll be prepared for that eventual bigger ask. 

BridgeDetroit: The master plan argues increasing funding helps improve service, which increases ridership. How has a lack of investment affected the perception of whether it’s worth investing in? 

Stupka: Southeast Michigan is the 11th biggest population in the United States. We’re in a big region. When you look at other regions that are similar to us, we’re spending three to four times less.

You’re spreading the peanut butter to cover as much as you can. The service doesn’t have the reliability or quality to attract riders. It turns into what we call the transit death spiral. You don’t have riders, people don’t want to support the service and it spirals. 

Most other regions that have done large transit investments have local-option sales taxes. There’s options that other states and regions have that we simply don’t. 

BridgeDetroit: The master plan identifies 13 potential rapid transit corridors in the region. Many of them are major streets in Detroit. What’s the next step? 

Stupka: We have a pending grant application for the Reconnecting Communities Program. That includes investments for Michigan, Woodward and Gratiot (avenues) in Detroit, plus Washtenaw out in Ypsilanti. It’s a $138 million project we asked for funding support for, that would allow us to make investments in bus stops, upgrade intersections, look at transit signal priority. 

We included a special investment in Woodward to advance a bus rapid transit project. That takes a lot of time and funding and planning. 

Each of those corridors either has an active capital project or planning project. Gratiot has a project led by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Woodward is going to launch an MDOT study. 

MDOT is designing an innovation corridor on Michigan Avenue, basically a dedicated transit facility from Corktown into downtown. We’re hoping the federal grant can move those toward implementation. 

We’re starting to talk about the Fort Street, the mile roads, what can we do with these routes with service improvements. We need to understand those better. 

BridgeDetroit: Surveys of people who don’t ride public transportation found safety is a concern. What can we do to make people feel more comfortable? 

Stupka: It’s definitely more of a perception than a reality. For folks that don’t ride, you’re in your car interacting with other cars and that’s definitely not safer. The Detroit Police Department and transit police are working to make sure patrols are appropriate and people feel there’s a presence on the vehicles. 

We’ve seen other communities work on programs that put transit ambassadors and social workers on the bus to facilitate interactions with customers. Philadelphia is implementing some interesting programs we’re going to look at. 

We have to strike a balance between having appropriate security on vehicles and making people feel welcome. God bless the transit operators, they’re driving buses, taking fares, giving people directions and breaking up fights. There are ways we can get them some support. 

Safe crossings, lighting, emergency call boxes and things like that can make stops feel more like a safe place. 

We’re also working on a coordinated human services transportation plan. It’s a plan that we’re mandated to do that looks at service for seniors and people with disabilities.