Detroit Area Transit Services

Far from what some people claim that Detroit has no transit, the Detroit region has several transit agencies that together provide over 120,000 rides each day (pre-COVID #s).

DDOT LogoDDOT

  • Detroit DOT buses provide local bus service throughout the City of Detroit and to a few neighboring cities
  • Contracts MetroLift door-to-door paratransit for seniors and people with disabilities
  • Provides nearly 100,000 rides a day, many to people with no other option (pre-COVID #s)
  • A department of the City of Detroit, paid for with Detroit general fund dollars
  • Visit the DDOT bus website here

SMART LogoSMART

  • SMART buses provide local and cross-county bus service in the suburbs of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, plus commuter service into Detroit
  • Provides door-to-door paratransit for seniors and people with disabilities
  • Provides nearly 30,000 rides a day to commuters, seniors, and people without other options (pre-COVID #s)
  • Paid for by a 1 mil property tax voted for and paid for by member communities
  • Visit the SMART bus website here

Q Line LogoQLINE Streetcar 

  • Modern streetcar service along 3.3 miles of Woodward Avenue through downtown and midtown Detroit
  • Developed by private M-1 Rail and funded mostly through donations from corporations and foundations and federal grants
  • Visit the QLINE website here

Detroit People Mover 

  • A 2.9 mile automated, elevated rail service looping through downtown Detroit
  • Run by the Detroit Transportation Corporation, a public corporation of the City of Detroit
  • Especially popular with tourists, convention visitors, and sports fans
  • Visit the People Mover website here

Southeast Michigan is also served by:

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan oversees all area transit service and will be seeking to improve coordination and to expand transit in the coming years.