TheRide 2045

TheRide’s Board of Directors has laid out ambitious goals for TheRide and transit services: advance the community’s social, environmental, and economic sustainability through the strategic provision of transit, while remaining careful stewards of the public trust.

The voters of the City of Ann Arbor, the City of Ypsilanti, and Ypsilanti Township approved TheRide’s 2022 millage request to expand and improve transit service. Though approved in 2022, the new 5-year 2.38 mil property tax and services will not go into effect until 2024. These improvements include several key enhancements to our public transit services that were recommended as part of the first phase of TheRide’s 2045 Long-Range Plan.

TheRide 2045 Long Range Plan logo

2024 Service Improvements

Implemented in Spring 2024

Implemented August 25, 2024

  • Expanded hours of weekday service:
    • Weekday service hours expanded to: 6:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
      • Routes 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 62, 66, 67, 68
    • NOTE: starting/ending times may vary by route.
       
  • Expanded hours of Saturday service:
    • Saturday service hours expanded to: 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
      • Routes 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 66, 67
    • NOTE: starting/ending times may vary by route.
       
  • Expanded hours of Sunday service:
    • Sunday service hours expanded to: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
      • Routes 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 67
    • NOTE: starting/ending times may vary by route.
       
  • Frequency of service increased to every 30 minutes before 6:00pm on Saturdays
    • Routes 3, 5, 6, 22, 25, 26/29, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 66, 67
       
  • Frequency of service increased to every 30 minutes before 6:00pm on Sundays
    • Routes 3, 5, 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 67
       
  • Route 4: Washtenaw - Local
    • Seasonal changes - restored fall/winter schedule.
       
  • Route 6: Ellsworth
    • New route variations:
      • 6A trips serve Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti using existing routing 7 days a week.
      • 6B trips replaced Route 24 to serve downtown Ann Arbor to Briarwood Mall Monday - Friday.
    • Multiple timepoint adjustments to improve on-time performance.
       
  • Route 22: Pontiac – Dhu Varren
    • The Dhu Varren + Omlesaad timepoint location has moved to Traver + Logan School.
    • Multiple timepoint adjustments to improve on-time performance.
       
  • Route 23: Plymouth
    • The E Medical Center Dr + Taubman timepoint location has moved to E Medical Center Dr + Mott Hospital.
       
  • Route 24: Eisenhower - Golfside
    • Route 24 has been replaced by two routes:
    • 6B uses routing from the Blake Transit Center to Briarwood Mall.
    • Route 67 uses routing from Briarwood Mall to Washtenaw Community College and Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital.
       
  • Route 29: Liberty
    • To Scio Ridge: The Liberty + Maple timepoint location moved to Liberty + Stadium.
    • To Blake Transit Center: The final Saturday evening trip departs at 6:26 p.m.
    • To Scio Ridge: The final Saturday evening trip departs at 6:15 p.m.
       
  • Route 31: Dexter Ave
    • To Blake Transit Center: Saturday and Sunday evening trips adjusted to depart at X:24 past the hour.
    • To Jackson & Wagner: Saturday and Sunday evening trips adjusted to depart at X:15 past the hour.
       
  • Route 33: Newport
    • The morning Rudolf Steiner School trip has been removed.
       
  • Route 42: Forest - MacArthur
    • First ‘to Ypsilanti Transit Center’ trip of morning starts at Clark East Tower 7 days a week.
    • The Cross + Prospect timepoint location moved to Forest + Campbell.
    • The Ford + Holmes timepoint have been removed.
    • Multiple timepoint adjustments to improve on-time performance.
       
  • Route 43: E. Michigan Ave
    • Adjusted routing to the following:
      • To Holmes & Ridge: Start at YTC – west on Pearl St. – (L) Adams St. – (L) Michigan Ave. – (L) Holmes Rd. – end at Homes + Ridge.
      • To Ypsilanti Transit Center: Start at Holmes + Ridge – west on Holmes Rd. – (L) Spencer Ln. – (R) Michigan Ave. (R) Huron St. – (L) Pearl St. – end at YTC.
         
  • Route 46: Huron – Paint Creek
    • The Ypsilanti Township District Library timepoint location moved to Ypsilanti Township Civic Center.
       
  • Route 62: U-M - State
    • Seasonal changes - restored fall/winter schedule.
       
  • Route 63: U-M - Pontiac
    • The E Medical Center Dr + Taubman timepoint location moved to E Medical Center Dr + Mott Hospital.
       
  • Route 64: Geddes – E. Stadium
    • The Geddes + Arlington timepoint has been removed.
       
  • Route 67: Eisenhower - Golfside – NEW Route
    • New route replaced Route 24, operating 7 days a week.
    • Serves Briarwood Mall, Northbrook + Oakbrook, Washtenaw Community College, and Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital before 6:30pm.
    • Serves Briarwood Mall to WCC after 6:30pm.
    • Service has been extended to the WCC/Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital area on Sundays.
       
  • Route 104: Washtenaw Express
    • To Blake Transit Center: New trip starts at 6:15am. Last trip of evening departs at 5:45pm.
    • To Ypsilanti Transit Center: First trip of morning departs at 6:30am. New trip starts at 6:00pm.
       
  • FlexRide Late Night & Holiday Service
    • Expanded service area to include all of Ypsilanti City and Ypsilanti Township, north of Textile Road, to match the fixed-route bus service area.
    • Greater booking capacity and new service provider and technologies. 

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Long-Range Plan Details

The AAATA team is working hard to implement the first five years of the Long-Range Plan. With support from the millage, we will maintain and expand current service levels. Scheduled for implementation in Fall of 2024, these include:

  • 30-minute frequencies during the day on all routes, every day of the week
  • Longer hours of operation
  • An expansion and enhancement of overnight on-demand service
  • A pilot limited-stop service on Washtenaw Avenue that aims to improve one-way running time to around 30 minutes

Beyond these operational enhancements, the AAATA team will begin planning and design for various capital projects, such as a new bus garage, renovation and/or expansion of our transit centers, and transit priority/bus rapid transit on major corridors.

Finally, AAATA will continue our efforts to improve accessibility on fixed-route services through better integration with A-Ride.

TheRide 2045 is a Long-Range Plan for transit in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. The plan lays out a shared vision and strategy for transit up to 2045.

It focuses on addressing social equity gaps by improving affordable and accessible transportation to jobs, education, services, and housing, improving our environment by giving travelers efficient transportation alternatives, and supporting a strong economy by better connecting businesses and people. The result will be a more competitive transit system that will grow ridership, resulting in a more sustainable and vibrant community.

TheRide 2045 recommends incorporating many community preferred projects. The plan reflects a transformational shift to the entire transit system. Our public and stakeholder engagement has helped us to determine which projects need to move forward and in what order.

Our recommendation is to implement a high frequency network with transit priority features that improves reliability, social equity, transportation related emissions, and accessibility for all community members.

The Long-Range Plan recommendation includes:

  • Two bus rapid transit lines; one along Washtenaw Ave. and another that would travel from the northside of Ann Arbor to the Briarwood area
  • 15 minutes or better service on most routes throughout the service area
  • 10 minute or better service with priority features on high-use corridors
  • A minimum of 30-minute frequency service throughout the service area, 7-days per week
  • Improvements to serve for people with disabilities and seniors
  • Later weekend and weeknight service hours

To support the improved service levels, investment into infrastructure is needed. This includes:

  • Garage expansion
  • Updates to the Blake Transit Center and Ypsilanti Transit Center
  • New transit hubs
  • Technology enhancements
  • Bus stop amenities like benches, shelters, etc.

Fall 2023:

2024 Service Improvement Proposals:

Summer 2022:

Spring 2022: 

Fall 2021:

Spring 2021: