TheRide 2045

TheRide’s Board of Directors has laid out ambitious goals for TheRide and transit services: advance the community’s social, environmental, and economic sustainability through the strategic provision of transit, while remaining careful stewards of the public trust.

The voters of the City of Ann Arbor, the City of Ypsilanti, and Ypsilanti Township approved TheRide’s 2022 millage request to expand and improve transit service. Though approved in 2022, the new 5-year 2.38 mil property tax and services will not go into effect until 2024. These improvements include several key enhancements to our public transit services that were recommended as part of the first phase of TheRide’s 2045 Long-Range Plan.

2022 Millage Information

TheRide 2045 Long Range Plan logo

2024 Service Improvement Proposals

The public comment period for the detailed service proposals has ended. Thank you to all who provided feedback. Information gathered will be used to make adjustments to the service proposals, and a finalized version of the plan will be released in Spring 2024.

Check out the information below:

Download the FAQs

Brief Summary

To be implemented in Spring 2024

  • A new limited-stop express bus route between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti along Washtenaw Avenue operating Monday – Friday. View the Express Bus Map & Schedule.

To be implemented in August 2024

View affected route maps & schedules: 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 62, 66, 68

  • Weekday Fixed-Route Bus Service:
    • Extended hours of service: 6:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. (first/last departures)
       
  • Saturday Fixed-Route Bus Service:
    • Extended hours of service: 7:00 a.m. – 11:50 p.m. (first/last departures)
    • 30-minute frequency from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    • 60-minute frequency after 6:00 p.m.
       
  • Sunday Fixed-Route Bus Service:
    • Extended hours of service: 8:00 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. (first/last departures)
    • 30-minute frequency from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
    • 60-minute frequency after 6:00 p.m.
       
  • Adjustments to routings or timings: Routes 4, 6, 24, 43
     
  • FlexRide Late Night & Holiday Service
    • Expanded service to include all of the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, north of Textile Road, to match the fixed-route bus service area. View the Map of the Extended Service Area.
    • Extended hours of service to complement new fixed-route hours of service.
    • Additional vehicles to reduce wait times.

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Long-Range Plan Details

The AAATA team is working hard to implement the first five years of the Long-Range Plan. With support from the millage, we will maintain and expand current service levels. Scheduled for implementation in Fall of 2024, these include:

  • 30-minute frequencies during the day on all routes, every day of the week
  • Longer hours of operation
  • An expansion and enhancement of overnight on-demand service
  • A pilot limited-stop service on Washtenaw Avenue that aims to improve one-way running time to around 30 minutes

Beyond these operational enhancements, the AAATA team will begin planning and design for various capital projects, such as a new bus garage, renovation and/or expansion of our transit centers, and transit priority/bus rapid transit on major corridors.

Finally, AAATA will continue our efforts to improve accessibility on fixed-route services through better integration with A-Ride.

TheRide 2045 is a Long-Range Plan for transit in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. The plan lays out a shared vision and strategy for transit up to 2045.

It focuses on addressing social equity gaps by improving affordable and accessible transportation to jobs, education, services, and housing, improving our environment by giving travelers efficient transportation alternatives, and supporting a strong economy by better connecting businesses and people. The result will be a more competitive transit system that will grow ridership, resulting in a more sustainable and vibrant community.

TheRide 2045 recommends incorporating many community preferred projects. The plan reflects a transformational shift to the entire transit system. Our public and stakeholder engagement has helped us to determine which projects need to move forward and in what order.

Our recommendation is to implement a high frequency network with transit priority features that improves reliability, social equity, transportation related emissions, and accessibility for all community members.

The Long-Range Plan recommendation includes:

  • Two bus rapid transit lines; one along Washtenaw Ave. and another that would travel from the northside of Ann Arbor to the Briarwood area
  • 15 minutes or better service on most routes throughout the service area
  • 10 minute or better service with priority features on high-use corridors
  • A minimum of 30-minute frequency service throughout the service area, 7-days per week
  • Improvements to serve for people with disabilities and seniors
  • Later weekend and weeknight service hours

To support the improved service levels, investment into infrastructure is needed. This includes:

  • Garage expansion
  • Updates to the Blake Transit Center and Ypsilanti Transit Center
  • New transit hubs
  • Technology enhancements
  • Bus stop amenities like benches, shelters, etc.