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Exciting Regional Express Bus Service and DDOT Service Expansions!

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While most of the major transit service improvements are dependent on passing the Regional Transit ballot measure this November, there are some important improvements starting now! New regional transit service launching – Reflex!  RTA, DDOT, and SMART have partnered up to launch a pilot project called Reflex. Starting Sept 3-5, you can travel quickly and […]

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On November 8, the People Will Decide!

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The Regional Transit Authority has officially voted to place the regional transit funding measure on the Nov 8 ballot! This is a truly momentous occasion: For the very first time, people throughout all 4 counties of southeast Michigan will have a chance to vote on investing in improved regional transit.

It looked for a while that this day would not come. When the Oakland and Macomb board members refused to support placing it on the ballot on July 21 and again on July 28, we feared regional transit efforts would be delayed for years!

Getting this on the ballot did come at a price – each County and the City of Detroit will all have to affirmatively approve all future changes in the transit plan and allocations of state and federal funding coming to southeast Michigan. While the sausage-making isn’t always pretty, we got the outcome we needed.

Time to get down to work persuading people throughout southeast Michigan to VOTE YES for RTA on November 8!

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Connecting People to Jobs: Comparing Current and Potential Future Transit

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One of the core purposes of transit is to connect people to jobs. Nationally, half of all transit trips are to get to work. So the first in a series evaluating our region’s current and potential future regional transit will focus on connecting people to jobs. How does our region’s transit do at getting people

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RTA to Hold Public Meetings about Proposed Express Bus Service

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The Regional Transit Authority is working with SMART and DDOT to jointly develop express bus service along the full lengths of Woodward and Gratiot Avenues. This proposed service (formerly known as Reflex) would run all day, seven days a week and have limited stops to provide faster connections between downtown Detroit and the outer suburbs without the

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TRU’s Take: Fixing the Transit System that Failed “The Walking Man”

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One year ago, the failure of the Detroit region’s public transit system drew national and even international attention and scorn when the Detroit Free Press ran a feature story on James Robertson’s 21-mile walk to work. And rightfully so. His commute spotlighted some of the worst gaps in our region’s public transit.

Over the past year, our region has taken some important steps forward, restoring some 24-hour service and exploring seemless cross-county service.

Yet far more remains to be done. Until then, the thousands of James Robertsons of our region will continue to struggle with the most basic travel to work and other necessities.

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