Since 1999, TRU has shared information about the benefits of transit, the limitations of current Detroit area transit, and ways transit can and must be improved.
Because people won’t support what they don’t care about and won’t care about what they don’t know about.
TRU education includes:
- Research reports and factsheets
- News media interviews, quotes, and op-eds
- TRU-hosted events, webinars, and community meetings
- Presentations to community groups, classes, and conferences
- Transit impact stories, guest blogs, and videos
- Testimony, public comments, and letters of support
- Information tables and other outreach at community fairs and festivals
Examples of each type of educational activities are provided below.
Looking for something not listed here?
Email TRU and we can try to help you find it!
Or, if it is from before 2017, TRU has an archive collection at Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs! Viewings require an appointment. To request one, email the library.
TRU research reports and factsheets
- For Michigan Roads, MDOT Needs to “Fix It First” (2025)
- The State of Transit 2025 (2025)
- Transit: Essential to a Thriving Michigan handout: Budget and Policy Recommendations 2024
- State Investment in Local Bus Operating is Essential handout (2024)
- Transit Action Agenda for Michigan (2023): A policy path towards transforming public transportation in Michigan
- SOS: Save Our Service report (2023): The no-show bus crisis devastating riders and solutions for fixing and SMART’s transit operator crisis
- SOS: Save Our Service handout (2023): Greater Detroit is facing a no-show bus crisis
- Transit Investments Build Michigan handout on transit benefits (2023)
- Flex Your Grants: Leveraging federal dollars for clean transportation projects report (2023), by Shared Use Mobility Center for the RE-AMP transportation team, including TRU
- Evaluating Funding for Public Transit to Advance Michigan’s Climate Goals (2022), a report by University of Michigan Taubman of Urban Planning program for TRU
- Safe(r) Transit During COVID-19: A TRU report on the low risk of transmission on public transit (2020)
- The State of Transportation Planning 2020: An American Planning Association report with a TRU-authored section on “Who Needs the Bus”
- Disability and Transportation in Southeast Michigan report (2018)
- Understanding Public Opinion Regarding Transit in Southeast Michigan (2014), an academic report by the University of Detroit Mercy with TRU, sponsored by the USDOT University Transportation Centers Program
- DDOT Report Card (2011): TRU graded DDOT service an “F” for consistently failing to provide reliable bus service
- The Greater Detroit Bus Access Program and public transit survey (2009), by TRU and the Motown’s Downtowns coalition
- The Economic Case for Light Rail in Detroit (2008), a TRU report
- Michigan Transit Vision report (2008) by the Michigan Transit Advisory Group
News media interviews, quotes, and op-eds
- Axios (June 2025): Detroit’s mayoral candidates weigh in on improving transit
- Channel 4 (Mar. 2025): Detroiters raise concerns over upcoming DDOT plans
- Detroit Free Press (Feb. 2025): Michigan needs smoother roads, but what about fixing the damn transit system? | Opinion
- Fox 2 (Jan. 2025): Michigan’s public transit community celebrates 2024 successes, but funding issues remain
- Daily Detroit (Dec. 2025): Transit in Metro Detroit: Uniting Wayne County, Funding, and the Path Forward
- Detroit News (Aug. 2024): ‘A broken system’: Why one-third of Detroit’s buses are routinely broken down
- Detroit Free Press (July 2024): Bus drivers, riders picket board meeting
- Planet Detroit (June 2024): Legislation could bring $1 billion in transit funding to metro Detroit over next decade
- Outlier Media (Mar. 2024): Bracing for a safety shake-up on city buses
- Second Wave Media (Mar. 2024): New website simplifies search for accessible public transportation in Michigan
- Detroit News (Mar. 2024): Which cops should patrol Detroit’s buses? Reports outline assaults, rage incidents
- Michigan Advance (Feb. 2024): Bipartisan, bicameral Public Transit Caucus holds inaugural meeting amid concern over funding
- WOOD TV Grand Rapids (Feb. 2024): Michigan could send $40 million less to bus services
- Daily Detroit (Feb. 2024): Is 2024 the turning point for transit in Metro Detroit?
- Click on Detroit News 4 (Jan. 2024): Detroit Public Transit receives new improvements after years of struggle
- WXYZ TV Detroit (Jan. 2024): Spotlight on the News with Chuck Stokes
- Axios (2023): Detroit bus performance failed to improve in 2023
- Crain’s Detroit Business op-ed (2023): Two decades of evidence gives governor answer to growing Michigan’s population
- Detroit Regional Chamber (2023): Transit Failure – or Success – is a Policy Choice
- Michigan Public (2023): Report: Metro Detroit’s bus service “in crisis,” calls for regional leaders to step up
- Detroit Free Press (2023): Detroit area leaders need to help resolve ‘no-show bus crisis’, report says
- Detroit News (2023): Metro Detroit transit systems are suffering from driver shortages. Is raising wages the answer?
- WDET Detroit Today (2022): How regional public transit could help solve Michigan’s population decline
- C&G Newspapers (2022): Countywide SMART millage to go on November ballots in Oakland County
- The Ortonville Citizen (2022): County-wide transit millage placed on Nov. 8 ballot
- WXYZ TV Detroit (2021): Experts say more funding needed for the future of public transportation in SE Michigan
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (2021): Climate change has hit home. What’s government going to do about it?
- Bridge Michigan (2020): Another year, another plan stalls to fix transit in southeast Michigan
- Oakland Press guest column (2020): Regional transit plan deserves a vote
- Curbed Detroit (2019): RTA updates its transit plan for Southeast Michigan
- Fox 2 Detroit: Let It Rip Weekend: (2018) Renewing SMART bus millage
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (2015): How we can start to fix our transit mess
- Michigan Public Radio (2014): Detroit struggling to get enough buses on the road
- MLive (2011): Transit group gives Detroit bus service an “F”
- MLive (2011): Everything you wanted to know about Detroit’s M1 light rail project… but were afraid to ask
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (2010): Build a more efficient transportation system
- Detroit Free Press (2002): Group urges riding bus for commuters
- Crain’s Detroit (2001): Bumpy Road Ahead, finding funding for rapid transit likely difficult
- The Detroit News (2000): Activist attempts to bring a European flavor to Detroit by trying to close I-375
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (2000): More backups down the road (Local Comment)
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (2000): A better downtown requires bus power (Local Comment)
- Detroit Free Press op-ed (1999): The draining away of transit options (Young Voices)
This is just a sampling of TRU’s media appearances. On average, TRU is featured in media around Detroit once every two weeks.
TRU-hosted events, webinars, and community meetings
- TRU hosts annual State of Transit events
- The State of Transit 2025 once again featured a state policymaker panel, a transit agency panel, rider voices, and more
- The State of Transit 2024 featured a state policymaker panel, a transit agency panel, rider voices, and more
- The State of Transit 2023 featured six transit agency leaders and three bus riders
- The State of Transit 2022 featured transit agency leaders and Oakland County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward
- TRU’s virtual 2021 State of Transit event featured both transit agency leaders and Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter
- The State of Transit 2020 featured Wayne County Exec Warren Evans and Oakland County Exec Dave Coulter, along with transit agency leaders
- Every year, TRU hosts a series of Transit Tuesday Talks, bring transit agency leaders and other experts to talk with riders and other supporters
- In 2025, TRU hosted a Mayoral Forum on Public Transit with most candidates for Detroit mayor.
- In 2022, TRU hosted a series of Transit Town Hall events across Oakland and Macomb Counties
- In 2021, TRU hosted a Green Mobility Showcase with mobility providers, policy leaders, transit advocates and others
- During 2020-21, TRU hosted the “Tapping Into Transit” video series and virtual Town Hall events on COVID, climate change
- In 2019, TRU hosted a Mobility and Equity event, sponsored by Bedrock
Presentations to community groups, classes, and conferences
- TRU’s Let’s Talk Transit speakers’ bureau program
- Began as a pilot project in 2017, during which 90% of attendees said they learned from it
- Makes presentations to civic groups, neighborhood associations, classes, and other community groups
- Educates about the myths, benefits, and potential of public transit while answering questions and collecting community input
Transit Voices, guest blogs, and videos
- TEEM – the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility cohort prepared videos of Michiganders explaining why sustainable mobility – including EVs and transit – are so important to them
- For several years, Transit Voices (formerly Transit Impact Stories) have shared the real-life impact that public transit has people’s lives – the good, the bad, and what needs to improve
- Contact [email protected] to share your story!
- Faces of Transit: TRU gathered pictures of people sharing why transit matters to them
Testimony, public comments, and letters of support
- Letter to the Detroit City Planning Commission, arguing for transit-friendly zoning reform (2025)
- Memo to the Growing Michigan Together Council (2023): One critical population answer: Invest in Transit
- TRU Supports the Advancing Corridors for Transit Project (2023): A Letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
- TRU recommendations for the Council on Climate solutions (2021)
- TRU leads 30 groups in demanding a better long-range transportation plan (2021)
- TRU’s detailed comments on MDOT’s proposed 2045 long-range transportation plan (2021)
- Transit left out of Whitmer’s idea of “Future Mobility” (2020) coalition statement
- TRU supports INVEST Act proposed in US House (2020) letter of support to Congress
- TRU statement in support of black lives and black communities (2020)
- Testimony to Detroit City Council re Proposed DDOT Service Reductions (2011)
- Legislative Testimony re proposed Regional Transit Authority legislation (2010)
- TRU comments and concerns on the MDOT long-range transportation plan (2007)
- TRU coalition letter to Congress re MDOT proposal for I-375 extension project (2001)
Information tables and other outreach at community fairs and festivals
