Michigan’s House Budget Sets Transit Back
This week, the Michigan Senate and House both released their proposed budget for 2026. For transit, the Senate budget is nearly identical to the Governor’s budget, which itself is not enough to deliver great transit for our state. But the House budget is a cause for particular concern. The House budget would give transit agencies a smaller share of operating support, despite rising fuel and vehicle costs.
If the House budget passes as written, we’d have the lowest-ever state contribution to local transit agencies in our state. Less than 30% of urban transit agency budgets would be covered by the state; at one point, the state covered 50%. Additionally, none of the proposed budgets include an increase in cross-state bus service.
The House proposes just $290M for local bus operations (LBO). The Senate and Governor propose $315M for LBO. At a bare minimum, we need to maintain the Governors and Senate’s LBO increase of $43M (up from $272M last year). But Michigan needs at least $330M for LBO.
These budgets are not enacted into law yet. If we want great transit in our state, we need to tell our legislators these budgets are unacceptable. Every single one of Michigan’s 83 counties benefits from better transit. Better public transit means saving households money and providing opportunities for all Michiganders. Even if you don’t rely on transit yourself, you rely on someone who does.
Take Action to Prevent the House Transit Cuts
You can take action today in two ways. We need to reiterate to our leaders that the House budget is unacceptable, and that the Governor and Senate budgets are not enough. As a reminder, we’re fighting for $330M for LBO, and doubling our intercity bus budget from $10M to $20M.
Please take a few seconds to tell your legislators about both the importance of local bus funding and cross-state bus funding. By supporting local buses in your city or town, and expanding intercity connections Up North and between Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit, Michigan can provide affordable transportation for everyone