NEWS

Changes are coming to a bus stop near you

Joshua Wooten, 29, an independent contractor with Detroit Action, has been taking the bus since his car engine flooded with water. He relies on the bus to go to work. Courtney Prielipp | The Washtenaw Voice

Alice McGuire

Deputy Editor

What’s changed since you last took the bus?

In 2022, residents of Washtenaw county voted to improve public transportation in their local community by passing a millage that would fund the first phase of TheRide’s 2045 Long-Range Plan.

This past spring, the first of these changes–Route 104, an express route that connects Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor–went into effect.

Starting August 2025, most routes will be revamped in some manner, with highlights including an expansion of hours of operation on both weekdays and weekends as well as an increase in the frequency of service for many routes.

Joshua Wooten, an independent contractor, has used the bus ever since moving to Ypsilanti four years ago.

“This is the first city that I’ve lived in that has actually had an option for public transit–it’s been super helpful!” sad Wooten, who attributed access to public transit to his ability to earn a living wage.

When informed about the upcoming changes, Wooten expressed excitement, stating that weekend hours have been “very annoying” and that he is looking forward to “the ability to plan out my day better” as well as less time spent waiting around at transit centers.

Jeremy Muhammad, 22, is a student majoring in Global Studies, and he has been using public transit for most of his life.

Upon learning about the upcoming changes, Muhammed expressed hope that he might be able to pick up more hours at work as well as positive feelings about the new express route, noting that it was quicker and less crowded than Route 4.

“With the way that society is moving, it heavily relies on people having vehicles, which is not always the case,” Muhammad said.

Jeremy Muhammad, a global studies major, said he looks forward to the new changes to the bus system. Courtney Prielipp | The Washtenaw Voice

Rebecca Thomas, a Digital Media Arts major, expressed trepidation as she will have to choose between leaving earlier and leaving later than usual with the updated service schedule, though she added that she was excited for the increased frequency of service.

“If you need to come here on the weekend and study at the library, it’s nice that you can do that. You couldn’t do that before.” Thomas said

Copies of the RideGuide, updated to reflect the Aug. 25 2024 service changes, can be found in the student center.