Last week TRU hosted the biggest night in transit, our annual State of Transit event at Marygrove Conservatory. TRU was joined by transit providers, elected officials, transit advocates, riders and sponsors for a night of conversation and reflection on the current state of transit in southeast Michigan and beyond and where we can go from here.
Special thanks to WSP, The Detroit People Mover, SMART, Indian Trails, MPTA and Michigan Flyer for sponsoring. Thank you to all of our speakers for coming out and sharing their knowledge on this important topic.
The event featured great conversations on transit from different perspectives. The program included:
- A State of Transit presentation from TRU Director Megan Owens
- A Transit Provider Panel featuring leaders of DDOT, SMART, RTA, AATA and DTC discussing their challenges, progress, and plans
- A Policymaker Panel featuring top transit champions from Wayne County, Oakland County and the Michigan Senate
- TRU’s plans for 2026 and opportunities to get involved
- TRU Board recognition and board election
Transit Provider Panel:
For the Transit Provider Panel we were joined by DDOT Director Robert Cramer, SMART CEO Tiffany Gunter, AAATA (TheRide) Director Matt Carpenter, RTA Director Ben Stupka and DTC (People Mover) General Manager Melia Howard.
Policymaker Panel:
For the Policymaker panel we were joined by Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, State Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony and Oakland County Commission Chair Dave Woodward.
TRU plans for 2026:
Campaigns Manager Joel Batterman gave an update on TRU’s upcoming plans and priorities for 2026.
- Double DDOT campaign
-Budget hearings in March
- Renew countywide transit in Macomb County; win countywide transit in Wayne County
-On the ballot in August primary election in both counties
- Work to reform MDOT priorities with statewide coalition
-Ongoing
TRU invites everyone to get involved:
Encouraging everyone to stay involved throughout the year, TRU’s Engagement Manager Za’Nyia Kelly shared some upcoming events and opportunities:
- Volunteer Orientation – 2/10
- Volunteer Meeting – 2/12
- I Love Transit Social (with Strong Towns Detroit) – 2/15
- Transit Tuesday Talk: Rural Transit – 2/24
- Wayne County Transit Task Force – 2/26
- Cross-State Transit Committee – 3/4
- Volunteer Meeting – 3/11
- Transit Day at the Capitol – 3/12
- Quarterly Member Meeting – 4/7
See a listing of upcoming TRU and transit community events at https://www.DetroitTransit.org/events.
Contact [email protected] to talk more about ways to get involved.
TRU elected new board members:
The TRU board elected and welcomed new members Jerina Cleveland, David Miechiels, Melinda B. Powers and Brittany Simmons. Board member Donald Stuckey II was re-elected to continue serving on the Board.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s State of Transit Event, we look forward to working with everyone in 2026.
Watch the full webinar below: