Tens of thousands of people across the metro Detroit region depend on public transit every day to get to work, school, doctors’ appointments, recreation, and more. Hundreds of transit agency staff work tirelessly to drive, fix, clean, plan, and manage those transit vehicles; yet most of that is unseen by most people throughout the region.
This first annual State of Transit report, released to the public on January 27, 2025, seeks to shine a spotlight on the importance, strengths, challenges, and improvements needed for the Detroit region’s public transit system.
The State of Transit Varies Across the Region
The State of Transit in metro Detroit in 2024 was adequate for some users, providing millions of essential rides. Yet for others, transit was nearly non-existent, despite every community having transit needs. Overall, metro Detroit transit continues to fall far short of the robust, reliable, convenient system that the region needs to expand opportunities, save people money, and to boost the region’s attractiveness and prosperity.






Transit across metro Detroit has been severely underfunded for decades, with the region investing a fraction of what other regions invest, so our transit agencies have long provided only a very modest level of transit service. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation. SMART and DDOT drastically cut back service to deal with decreased staffing and modified demand. The agencies’ inability to provide reliable service reached a crisis point. In July 2023, TRU released a report titled SOS: Save Our Service, which urged better pay for drivers to help their ranks and end the epidemic of no-show buses.
Gradual Progress in Restoring Bus Reliability
Since then, both agencies have made significant efforts to attract more workers and to modify their service to address changes in travel patterns. Over the course of 2024, DDOT and SMART made gradual improvements to reliability, and DDOT phased in a series of service improvements. This resulted in a significant growth in ridership, a key barometer of how well transit is serving our region.
Other transit systems in the region demonstrated that when service is introduced or improved, more people will ride. Ann Arbor’s TheRide has expanded bus service even beyond pre-pandemic levels; in response, more people are riding. Thanks to the 2022 Oakland County transit ballot vote, rural transit providers like the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) and Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA) also boosted service and are now serving record numbers of riders. Ridership on the Regional Transit Authority’s D2A2 service between Detroit and Ann Arbor has also been growing steadily.
The task for DDOT and SMART in 2025 is to continue progress towards timely, reliable service, and to get more buses on the road to provide the frequent service that makes transit a more convenient option.

Elected Officials Must Boost Transit Funding
The agencies themselves, however, can only do so much with the paltry level of funding they currently receive. To provide the great transit we need, we need action from elected officials to double transit investment on the local and state levels.
We, the people of the region, must hold them accountable for delivering the investments in public transit that will enable our residents and our region to thrive. Get involved with TRU to help make that accountability happen.