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Powerful energy at State of Transit 2024!

/ DDOT, QLINE, Regional Transit Authority, Rep Donavan McKinney, Rep Jason Morgan, Senator Jeff Irwin, Senator Mallory McMorrow, SMART, The State of Transit, transit funding, TRU Board of Directors

The transit community kicked off 2024 strong at TRU’s annual State of Transit event on Tuesday, January 30. More than 100 people came out in person, plus another 75 virtually, to talk with and hear 14 fabulous speakers each discuss the State of Transit in the Detroit region.

Special thanks to Wayne State’s Office of Economic Development and TechTown for sponsoring. And a big thank you to each one of our speakers for sharing their time and insight into this important topic.

We do apologize to our virtual attendees for the inadequate sound quality, as we work to enable broadest participation by offering hybrid events. Check out the video recording with improved audio now available on YouTube, as is a transcript of much of the event.

Inspiring Panel of State Policymakers

Five impressive state policymakers join TRU Director Megan Owens for a panel discussion about the State of Transit.

  • State Senator Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak
    • “Transit investment is economic development.”
    • “When I knocked on doors campaigning, all the time I heard: ‘You remind me of my daughter who left. Why did you come back? How can we keep my kids here?’ And a lot of it is about making sure we create a connected metro Detroit region.”
    • “It is imperative that we provide car-free opportunities here in Michigan.”
    • “The RTA hasn’t been given the funding and the authority and the support it needs to be that unifying force.”
    • “We can pass policy all day long but unless you fund it, it doesn’t exist.”
    • “We’re accountable to you. It needs to be very clear that this is an issue voters care about and If you do not take action on it, you’ll be voted out of office.” 
  • State Senator Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor
    • He described transit as one of the “big gaping holes” in the region, noting that “when you connect people, good things happen.”
    • He’s working on efforts to fix Regional Transit Authority legislation, which he said basically takes rail projects off the table.
    • “I want you to raise your voice,” Irwin said. “I want you to keep asking about transit more. . . There are a lot of things out there in the political environment where the public overwhelmingly believes in something, but it never happens. The reason is, because there’s a mismatch of intensity. We need to make sure that our elected officials at the local and state level hear about this issue wherever they go.”
  • State Rep. Donavan McKinney of Detroit
    • McKinney said he grew up as a frequent bus user who was well-acquainted with how time consuming and frustrating public transportation can be – it took him roughly five hours each day to get to and from his northeast Detroit neighborhood to Renaissance High School.
    • “We need to do a lot more than just fix the damn roads. We need to make sure our people are truly connected.”
    • “We have to do more. This is how we’re going to keep our younger generation from moving out.”
    • “One of the good things about redistricting that has happened, it created an environment where we’re all in rooms together. They’re crossing commercial corridors and bringing people together. It’s not Detroit versus everybody or suburbs versus Detroit.”

  • State Rep. Jason Morgan of Ann Arbor
    • Launching a new transit legislative caucus with Rep. Mike McFall that already has 36 legislators on board!
    • “When I think about transit, I think about the people who are utilizing those buses and trains. And I think about connecting people to everything they need and want to access.”
    • “We’re coming up with a strategy to invest in transit long-term, especially to significantly boost local bus operating funds. . . increase by $150 million a year.”
  • Michigan Infrastructure Chief Zach Kolodin
    • Lived in New York City and thinks everyone should have the choice of living without a car required
    • “Fundamentally, infrastructure is about creating places people want. People want to feel safe, feel connected, and not dodge cars to get across the street.”
    • “We have an unpresented opportunity to capture federal funding for a number of state priorities, including transit, including rail. I’m pushing every day for that. We need a plan that is fiscally sustainable.”
    • (Note – an earlier version misattributed a quote to Mr. Kolodin actually said by Senator Irwin. It has now been corrected.)

Significant Progress, Plans from Transit Agencies

We were also pleased to be joined by leaders of the region’s top five transit agencies, who provided updates on their progress, their challenges, and their plans for 2024:

  • RTA Executive Director Ben Stupka
    • RTA’s Detroit-Ann Arbor ridership continuing to grow
    • Will launch downtown-Airport express bus service in March!
    • Applied for major federal grant to plan bus rapid transit with lots of regional partners
    • Striving to balance need to improve current service with building towards the future

  • DDOT Interim Director Michael Staley
    • Working hard to hire more drivers; provided drivers a $3/hour raise and increased attendance bonus
    • Wrapping up their DDOT Reimagined planning process, public hearing Feb 15
    • New State Fair Transit Center will open this spring!
    • Phasing in BRT-lite / enhanced bus service on Jefferson
    • Improved paratransit reliability; will start same-day reservations for seniors, people with disabilities

  • SMART Deputy Manager Tiffany Gunter
    • Service expanded into Novi and Wixom; will be expanding into Rochester soon
    • Working hard to hire more drivers; understands riders want more urgency
      • Have completed two of four new labor agreements; planning for the highest driver wages in the state soon!
      • Urging federal government to modernize drug testing laws
      • Will be funding pension fund at 95%, saving money moving forward
    • Seeking public input on a SMARTer Mobility plan

  • People Mover General Manager Robert Cramer
    • Free rides for 2024!
    • Working hard to help the City shine during NFL draft and other big public events

  • QLINE CEO Lisa Nuskowski
    • Provided 1 million rides in 2023!
    • Improving reliability with dedicated transit lanes and improved signals
    • Continues to struggle to keep cars out of transit lane
    • In discussions to be taken over by RTA, instead of operating as an independent nonprofit organization

TRU will be hosting each of these providers in their own Transit Tuesday Talk later this year, with ample time for in-depth updates and answering questions. Stay tuned.

TRU Elected New Board members

TRU’s Board of Directors oversees, supports, and guides TRU in setting priorities, developing resources, and engaging with the community. We were proud for the TRU membership to unanimously elect three new members to join the Board:

  • Adam Goodman (left), an Ann Arbor sustainable mobility advocate who helped grow a Michigan startup into a global leader in cybersecurity. He grew up in car dependent Bloomfield Township and is now thrilled to help draw Washtenaw County closer together with the rest of metro Detroit.

  • Farai (Far-EYE-ah) Gundan (center) is a Detroit entrepreneur with a Harvard MPA developing financial technology for mobility service in Africa. Her perspective as a woman of color, coupled with a community-centric approach, innovative vision, and commitment to equitable transportation, positions Farai as a strong asset to the TRU Board of Directors.

  • Mitchell Mantey (right) is a Detroit attorney and regular TRU volunteer who regularly rides the bus to work. Mitch also worked at his parents’ small business where poor bus service contributed to labor issues at the store. He looks forward to applying his professional experience in organizational development and advocacy to grow TRU.

TRU Shared Our Progress, Plans, Opportunities to Get Involved

TRU Director Megan Owens used The State of Transit event, which serves as TRU’s Annual Meeting, to provide an update on TRU’s progress from the past year and plans for 2024.

TRU Accomplishments in 2023:

TRU Plans for 2024:

Megan encouraged all transit supporters to get involved – to tell your legislators to invest in transit, to donate to support TRU’s ongoing advocacy, and to join our volunteer team monthly meeting.

Check out the news coverage of the State of Transit event: