TRU 2024 Year in Review

For TRU, as for many of us, 2024 was a year of both wins and losses. A challenging aspect of our work is the fact that to advance transit, we need to work on many fronts: local, state and even federal. To do that, we need to keep growing our power as an organization – something we succeeded in doing, as we brought in dozens of new members and new staff as well!

Some of this year’s highlights included victories in our campaign to improve bus reliability by increasing bus driver wages; the establishment of a new Transit Caucus in the Michigan Legislature; and a series of new events, including an event with urbanist blogger CityNerd and a Transportation Civic Academy. Read on to learn more!

Watchdogging DDOT and SMART for More Reliable Service

Both DDOT and SMART have been struggling to provide scheduled bus service. This year, however, our ongoing campaign to address the crisis of no-show service made some important gains.

In January, after more than a year of pressure from TRU, Mayor Duggan raised the starting wage for DDOT drivers from $16.15 to $19.15 an hour. While we continue to believe drivers deserve more, this was an important first step towards recruitment and retention. A shortage of operable buses, more than a shortage of drivers, is now the biggest barrier to reliable service.

We also continued to pressure SMART to settle its long-running contract negotiations with drivers and raise starting wages. Ultimately, the drivers approved a SMART contract that brings their starting wage up 32% to $26.95 per hour. We’re hopeful that this, too, will help the agency hire and retain more drivers so riders can trust buses will be there when we need.

Both DDOT and SMART have also been working on system redesign proposals, the most comprehensive changes in the systems in decades. TRU applauded the completion of the “DDOT Reimagined” plan, which envisions roughly doubling DDOT service. We called for SMART’s “SMARTer Mobility” analysis to explore a more ambitious, revenue-unconstrained scenario.

State-Level Engagement and Advocacy

Rep. Veronica Paiz (D-Harper Woods), right, speaks with TRU members on SMART’s 9 Mile bus.

A major focus of 2024 was advocating for more state funding for public transit systems across Michigan, as well as working with Wayne County leaders to pass legislation that would put Michigan’s largest county on the path to county-wide transit.

TRU mobilized hundreds of e-mails and calls to state legislators, met with scores of them, and conducted over a dozen ride-alongs. In the last days of the December lame-duck session, we prevailed with the passage of a bill that sets up a countywide vote for transit in Wayne County in 2026! We also helped spur the creation of a new Transit Caucus in the state legislature.

Unfortunately, with the end of federal pandemic aid, the state budget was much tighter this year, and we did not win all the funding we sought, although the Michigan Legislature did improve on Governor Whitmer’s initial proposal. That said, we are hopeful that the relationships we built with legislators will serve us well down the road.

Building the Movement

We hosted a number of exciting events in 2024, including several Transit Tuesday Talks. Most notably, in September we hosted popular urbanist influencer Ray Delahanty, better known as CityNerd. More than 100 people packed an auditorium to hear him converse with TRU director Megan Owens and local leaders.

Ray Delahanty (CityNerd, second from right) speaks with local leaders Detroit Councilman Scott Benson (left) Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, and RTA leader and former Ferndale Mayor Melanie Piana, and TRU Director Megan Owens (right)

For the first time ever, TRU organized a Transportation Civic Academy, a ten-week program for people interested in learning more about transportation policy and advocacy. Participants heard from a variety of informative and inspiring guest speakers, ranging from local bicycle advocate Todd Scott to Transportation for America executive director Beth Osborne, and participated in a walk audit, comparative bus and streetcar rides, and attempted bike excursion (unfortunately shut down by rain). 

Civic Academy participants prepare to race each other down Woodward by bus and streetcar. (The bus won, twice!)

In advance of the November election, TRU launched a major effort to survey bus riders and get out the vote. We ultimately talked to over 1100 riders and followed up with hundreds, letting them know about their options for early voting.

The results of the election pose serious challenges to transit funding, especially at the federal level. Project 2025, the policy agenda assembled by the conservative Heritage Foundation, sets a goal of zeroing out federal support for public transit entirely. Rest assured, however, that this won’t happen without a fight.

Community Walk Audit with the Eastside Community Network and Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson (left).

TRU conducted three community walk audits during the summer months, focusing on public transit users, cyclist and pedestrian inclusivity and accessibility. We partnered with local community organizations in three different Detroit neighborhoods to audit some of the most dangerous areas for pedestrians and bicyclists, the so-called “high injury network.” The audits facilitated conversations between representatives and their constituents and will allow long-standing concerns to not just be noted and filed away, but to be platformed in a way that will lead to improvements. The data we collected will be compiled into a nationwide report that will be shared with local and federal representatives, as well as local officials who will be deciding on new road designs and improvements in the near future.

Finally, TRU continued our popular series of Transit Tuesday Talks, with guests including DDOT Director G. Michael Staley and SMART Vice President of Planning & Innovation Harmony Lloyd.

More Transit Wins

We were also excited to witness a number of other important transit wins this year, including:

  • Detroit Air Xpress (DAX) service launched, providing a direct bus connection between downtown Detroit and Metro Airport.
  • SMART service to Rochester and Waterford commenced with the new Route 492 and 759, thanks to the 2022 Oakland County transit millage that TRU played a key role in passing.
  • DDOT’s new Jason Hargrove Transit Center opened on the old State Fairgrounds site, finally providing a dignified waiting area for riders at this important transfer location.
  • DDOT began installing hundreds of new bus shelters funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

TRU Grows as an Organization

One of the most exciting milestones of the year was expanding the TRU staff team! We welcomed Transit Engagement Specialist Lukas Lasecki (previously a TRU intern) and inaugural Michigan Climate Corps Fellow Za’Nyia Kelly, who is now continuing as a full-time TRU employee. We also grew the TRU membership to over 300 members, a new record!

We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in 2024, and look forward to continuing our progress towards transportation for all in 2025. As always, TRU is grateful for your continued support, which makes all our work possible.