Opportunity to comment on draft plan that outlines the future of public transit begins March 14

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) has announced its next phase of public input for its Long-Range Plan: TheRide 2045. The draft plan includes the public’s input from Fall 2021. TheRide is hosting a series of virtual and in-person meetings to hear the community’s final feedback on the draft plan.

“We appreciate everyone who took the time to review our scenarios in the fall and provide feedback. We heard from nearly 1,400 people in our community. We worked with our consultants to analyze the responses and as an outcome, developed our draft recommendations,” said Forest Yang, Deputy CEO of Planning & Innovation at TheRide. “We hope to hear from more people as we begin this final phase of our planning process.”

TheRide 2045 provides a vision, a long-term system plan and shorter-term implementation steps for public transit in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. The plan focuses on improving social equity by increasing access to jobs and housing, while also contributing to a cleaner environment and a vibrant economy.

Feedback on TheRide’s Long-Range Plan is being accepted March 14 – April 15, 2022. There are many ways to provide your feedback on TheRide 2045:

• Attend a virtual meeting
• Attend an in-person meeting
• Visit: TheRide.org
• Email: 2045@TheRide.org
• Call: 734-794-1882
• Mail:
  • AAATA
    c/o TheRide 2045
    2700 S. Industrial Hwy.
    Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Come learn about the Long-Range Plan draft recommendations at a series of public and virtual meetings:

Virtual meetings will be held via Zoom at the following times:

Date                            Time

March 29                     7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

March 31                     12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

April 6                         12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

April 7                         7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

In-person meetings/drop-in sessions* will be held at the following locations:

Date                                        Time                                        Location

March 23                                 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.              Ypsilanti Transit Center

March 24                                 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.              Blake Transit Center

April 5                                     12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.              Ypsilanti District Library – Whittaker Rd.

*In-person meetings/drop-in sessions are subject to COVID-19 safety protocols and are subject to change.

To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, TheRide continues to enforce the established preventive measures to keep both riders and drivers safe:

• Customers are required to wear a face covering, per federal law.
• The driver is to be approached for emergencies only.

• Buses are cleaned with CDC-recommended protocols.

• Plastic barriers are added to separate drivers and riders on fixed-route buses.
• Sanitation supplies are provided to employees.
• Masks, gloves and face shields are provided for drivers’ use.
• Lost and Found collection has been temporarily suspended.

The latest information on TheRide’s routes, schedules and detours is available at 734-996-0400 and on TheRide.org.