Despite being several days late, the Michigan Legislature finally passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which started Oct 1 of 2025. Our 9 months of advocacy and activism paid off!!
The new MI budget includes nearly $160 million more for public transit – including both bus operating and transformational projects!
As we had long been pushing for, transit will get nearly 10% of the $1.8 billion being newly allocated mostly to local roads.
Local Bus Operating will increase to fully $300 million!
- A shift from sales taxes from the gas pump to all being gas taxes adds $45 million added to the $226 million from last year.
- A new bill allocates an additional $35 million to LBO!
A new Infrastructure Projects Authority will allocate $65 million a year to transformational transit projects!
This could include passenger rail service, bus rapid transit, airport express services, or more! Stay tuned as we figure out how that will be spent!
If you are confused about any of this, see this post from our friends at Strong Towns Detroit breaking what this funding means a bit more.
Thank you to our Legislative Champions who kept fighting to make this happen!
This was only possible thanks to legislators who consistently pushed to ensure transit was an important part of this budget:
- Thank you, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, for meeting with transit riders and supporting transit investment throughout.
- Thank you, Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony – a former CATA Board member – for consistently championing transit.
- Thank you, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her excellent staff, for figuring out ways to include transformational transit in the budget.
- Thank you, House Speaker Matt Hall, for including $60 million in the initial house roads deal and supporting transit in the final deal.
- Thank you, Senator Veronica Klinefelt, whose local roads bill included the crucial $100 million additional funding for transit!
- Thank you, Representatives Greg Alexander, Ann Bollin, and Donni Steele, for your leadership and support.
- Thank you, Representative Jason Morgan – co-chair of the Legislative Transit Caucus – for being a consistent, vocal champion for transit funding!
And thank you to the many other legislators and government officials to supported this and made it happen!
Thank you to our advocacy allies and activists!
This type of investment doesn’t happen without persistent, effective advocates and passionate, local activists fighting to make it happen! We’re honored to have worked with an awesome coalition of advocates and other allies including:
- Environmental groups like NRDC, MEC, Sierra Club, Climate Cabinet, and Evergreen Action
- Transit associations including Michigan Public Transit Association and MASSTrans
- Labor groups, especially Amalgamated Transit Union
- Among others!
And thank you to each person who called your legislator, attended a legislative coffee hour, came to the Capitol, and to nearly 1,000 people who sent state leaders a message through our online advocacy tool! Advocacy works! This would not have been possible if we didn’t keep pushing.
Together, we can make a difference for transit!
