Michigan’s public transit community celebrates 2024 successes, but funding issues remain
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, State Senator Mallory McMorrow (left), Representative Ryan Morgan, and TRU Director Megan Owens
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Lawmakers and transit advocates convened for the annual State of Transit conference hosted by Transportation Riders United on Tuesday
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Officials celebrated several victories over the past year, including ending opt-outs in Wayne County and expanding SMART and DDOT bus service
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However, the main challenge of funding remains and with uncertainty in the federal government, available grants could be harder to come by
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Lawmakers and transit advocates convened for the annual State of Transit conference hosted by Transportation Riders United on Tuesday
-
Officials celebrated several victories over the past year, including ending opt-outs in Wayne County and expanding SMART and DDOT bus service
-
However, the main challenge of funding remains and with uncertainty in the federal government, available grants could be harder to come by
DETROIT (FOX 2):Many of the people involved in advocating for improved riding experiences gathered in Detroit on Tuesday, from Lansing legislators to the authorities who oversee the transportation systems that proponents hope to grow in the future.
They commemorated some of the successes of the previous year, such as the legislative ending of Wayne County’s transit network opt-out option.
However, there are still a lot of obstacles to overcome, and the lack of clarity at different governmental levels may make any further advancements difficult.
Overview:
Speaking to an audience inside the Industry Innovation Center at Wayne State University, Megan Owens acknowledged that expanding transit would be difficult, but she also had faith in the movement’s momentum.
“This room is packed,” stated Transportation Riders United’s executive director.
Improvements in Oakland County’s senior bus service, the shift in public attitudes toward transit, and the impending passage of hundreds of millions of dollars in transit financing over the next ten years were all highlighted during the evening.
However, it was Wayne County’s legislative win during Lansing’s crowded lame duck session last year.
“It was a miracle we were able to get it there, to get it through,” stated Warren Evans, the executive of Wayne County.
However, any additional improvements may be difficult to achieve due to financing uncertainty following the White House’s decision to halt federal subsidies and a divided government in Lansing for the next two years.
“Now that we have a divided government, Democrats and Republicans must cooperate to accomplish anything,” stated State Senator Mallory McMorrow. In a perfect world, we would have collaborated earlier. However, we do not live in that political era.
After the governor signed legislation prohibiting opt-outs for public transportation, Wayne County achieved a significant win. However, they will require the consent of the electorate to enlarge it.
Local viewpoint:
Some of the local issues that officials had to deal with in 2024 were service reliability and staffing levels, even though the larger challenge included additional funding.
Woodward needed greater options on the weekend, but Patty Fedewa, a regular passenger of metro Detroit’s buses, praised the Detroit Department of Transportation for enhancing service on Jefferson Avenue.
SMART’s COO, Tiffany Gunter, stated that the previous year began with “a lot of problems and not a lot of answers.”
According to her, SMART had 180 fewer workers at the beginning of 2024 due to a lack of drivers, mechanics, and fixed-route operators. Because of the subsequent unstable service, it caused friction with the TRU community.
Since then, buses have been fixed more quickly, and SMART has increased its workforce.
“With people you can do so much more,” she stated. “Today, while I have some problems remaining, I don’t have as many.”
Megan Owens, DDOT Director Robert Cramer, RTA Director Ben Stupka, and SMART COO Tiffany Gunter (left).
What they’re saying:
With Democrats no longer in control of the legislature, Ann Arbor Democratic Representative Jason Morgan stated that supporters would have to enter “protection mode” for funds already obtained for the Local Bus Operating program.
“We are going into very different times this next couple years in terms of leadership in Michigan and Washington D.C.,” he stated to the audience.
He urged supporters to not rule out members of any party, despite worries that a Republican majority in the Michigan House would stifle any attempts to expand transportation. He also mentioned that he has spoken with at least one conservative in Lansing who is interested in working on transit.
However, he urged citizens to exert “persistent, respectful pressure” on lawmakers whenever legislation is introduced in order to bring about meaningful change.
McMorrow thinks that if supporters could expand the advantages of extending transit, their case would be stronger.
“We put a stake in the ground to say that transit is economic development in a big way,” she stated. “And just because we didn’t get our efforts across the finish line doesn’t mean that’s not progress.”
The Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) is a Michigan initiative for extensive economic development. McMorrow oversaw a strategy to use SOAR to allocate $10 billion over the following ten years to initiatives like transit.
Although it was one of the closest attempts to provide the funds required to alter transit in Southeast Michigan and beyond, it never reached the governor’s desk.
Look more closely:
While nonprofit organizations depend on government funds to deliver their own services, Michigan receives millions of dollars in federal support annually for its budget. The funds have also helped transit agencies.
Ben Stupka, director of the Regional Transit Authority, cited the shortfall in funds as evidence.
Prior to the NFL Draft, the DAX system provided direct service between downtown Detroit and Detroit Metro Airport. A $2 million grant from the federal government’s infrastructure act helped to finance it.
However, the White House halted all federal financing on Tuesday, which caused uncertainty and caused Medicaid and other programs to be disrupted.
The MPs on stage and the RTA were also uncertain about the extent of the freeze, but they contended that it was an indication that obtaining additional funding may be more difficult during the ensuing four years.
“We are in a period of complete chaos with our federal situation so we’re trying to understand what’s going to yield from that,” Stupka added.
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This narrative was based on data from the Transportation Riders United State of Transit conference.
This narrative was based on data from the Transportation Riders United State of Transit conference.