The Ride - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority

PRESS RELEASE

November 18, 2011

TheRide approves increased Route 4 service between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Bus service along Washtenaw Avenue between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti will significantly increase beginning on January 30, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide) announced following approval last night of a proposed plan by its board of directors.

Public input gathered since September was enthusiastic about the plan to double the number of weekday trips that operate on Route 4, primarily along Washtenaw Avenue, between the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor and the Ypsilanti Transit Center.

TheRide’s Manager of Service Development, Chris White, said that the proposed service improvement is an advance element of the Transit Master Plan to provide:

More frequent service east of US 23, where most of the current demand originates

More reliable service (better on-time performance)

Reduced overcrowding on trips

More direct and faster service to and from U-M Central Campus and the Blake Transit Center on every other trip – seven minutes less than the current schedule

Current service on Route 4 operates between the two cities every 30 minutes mid-day and every 15 minutes during morning and afternoon peak service hours. Additional peak trips also operate between the University of Michigan Medical Center and the Ann Arbor city limits at US 23.

Ridership on Route 4 has the highest ridership among all of TheRide’s routes. More than 800,000 trips are taken each year and more than 3,000 trips on an average weekday on Route 4.

“Increased frequency will benefit current riders and encourage new riders,” White said. “It is a critical element in the effort to ‘Reimagine Washtenaw Avenue’, which is a cooperative effort of every governmental unit along the corridor.”

The service plan includes:

Mid-day – four trips per hour in each direction (service every 10-20 minutes)

Peak Hours – eight trips per hour in each direction (service every 5-10 minutes)

Peak Hours – Discontinue service on trips which operate only between U-M Medical Center and US 23

Mid-day and Peak Hours – Every other trip to provide service to U-M Medical Center. Remaining trips to provide service directly to the Central Campus Transit Center

In addition to the increase in service on Route 4, TheRide is also continuing with plans to launch bus service to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, expand its vanpool program and increase the service area of its Night Ride late-night taxi service in the near future, as components of the countywide Transit Master Plan.

The latest information on AATA routes, schedules and detours is available at 734.996.0400 and on the AATA Routes and Schedules page.