Alex Selsey moved to the Detroit area after college and started riding the bus during the pandemic. He is a 25 year old who commutes to his engineering job in Warren via the bus. Alex, like many young people, highly values transit and considers it a crucial part for him to have a future in Metro Detroit.
Navigating Transit During the Bus Service Crisis
Alex may be new to using the bus here, but he knows how difficult travel has been with the crisis bus service faces in Metro Detroit. “When you have such low frequency already, the high number of missed runs becomes harder to deal with,” said Alex. “I was at the State of Transit event some months ago and the various heads from the agencies were talking a big game about how everything was going to be great and they were fixing all the problems. I felt that big things were coming, but then I stepped outside and I remembered that more than half the Woodward express buses were missed runs that day”.
“[Transit’s] something that I’ve adapted to because I’ve wanted to. […] I do think it’s kind of fun, but I wouldn’t call it a good experience.”
Growing up in Upstate New York and attending college in Indianapolis, Alex has seen transit in other places. After moving here, he fully committed to the bus, for simple reasons: “It’s something that I’ve adapted to because I’ve wanted to. I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint and save money,” said Alex. However, it hasn’t all been perfect: “I do think it’s kind of fun but I wouldn’t call it a good experience.”
While Alex has access to a car, his 1970 Ford Mustang is not a daily commuter: “Sometimes I drive it to work but just because I feel like it,” said Alex. “I occasionally use it for practical things but I’d say infrequently. I really can’t use that car in inclement weather and [transit] enables me to travel distances in inclement weather […] and around on the frequent occasions when I have my car taken apart for repairs.”
“I feel that [transit] might help me stay here [in Michigan].”
Alex is like many young people in Michigan. Educated, climate-conscious, and wanting to use transit. The state is worried about losing people, and transit is what we need to keep young people here. As Alex puts it; “I feel that [transit] might help me stay here. Every time I go to Chicago I think to myself ‘this would be nice.’ They even have trains over there! I spent time in New York City growing up, I know what it’s like too. It’s very good over there.”
Want to share your experiences? Reach out to Za’Nyia Kelly (Zkelly@DetroitTransit.org) and share your transit impact story!