If you are trying to commute by bus to or in Ann Arbor, here’s an overview of your options:

For people who live in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Area: Taking the Bus to Work

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (The Ride) has buses that run throughout the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. Here are some resources to help you plan your commute:

• Bus Schedules: All of the Bus Routes are online as well as listed in the printed Ride Guide, which is available at the getDowntown Program Office (518 E. Washington Street, between Division and State) the Blake Transit Center (at 4th Ave and Liberty in Downtown Ann Arbor), on any AATA Bus, at AATA Headquarters (at 2700 S. Industrial), at the downtown Library, at the Ann Arbor-Ypsi Regional Chamber of Commerce, and many more locations!
• Live Tracking of AATA buses: Find out where your bus is on your smart phone with AATA’s Mobile Ride Guide.
• Google Transit: You can use Google Transit to help plan your bus route.  It works just like driving directions. Go to maps.google.com, search for directions, and click on the transit icon for bus route suggestions.
• Help from getDowntown: If you work downtown, getDowntown can help you plan your bus route. Contact us for assistance.
• MyRide: Subscribe to MyRide to receive email and text service alerts and information from the Ride (AATA). Click here for more information.
• Magic Bus for UM Buses: Want to see where all the UM buses are? Check out Magic Bus.

Bus Passes

There are a bunch of different types of bus passes available to people who want to ride the bus:

• go!pass: available to employees who work in the DDA area in downtown Ann Arbor, gives you unlimited rides on all AATA fixed-route buses, including from Ypsilanti and Park & Ride Lots. This pass is subsidized by the Downtown Development Authority.
• 30-Day Passes: This pass offers unlimited rides on all AATA fixed route buses for 30 days from first use on days when service operates.  The current cost is $58/month.  These passes can be purchased at the Blake Transit Center on Fourth Ave in downtown Ann Arbor.
• MCard: UM Employees, faculty and staff just swipe their MCard when they board AATA fixed-route buses to ride the bus for free.  This pass is subsidized by the UM.
• WCC Transit Pass: This is a discounted pass for students to use to get to WCC.   Get more info by calling 973-3536. This pass is subsidized by WCC.
• Fare Deal Card: This pass is available for income-eligible persons and others. For more info, please call 734-973-6500.
• A complete listing of all of the AATA bus passes and fares can be found here.

Which Bus to Take?

If you work downtown, you are in luck! Almost every AATA bus comes to downtown Ann Arbor. A lot of buses also stop on the UM Campus for those of you who work at UM.  Here’s a brief overview of some of the routes to take if you are coming from certain parts of town:

• Coming from the West Side of Ann Arbor: You can take the 8 Pauline, 9 Jackson-Dexter, 12A Miller-Liberty, 12B Liberty-Miller, 13 Newport, 15 Scio Church-W. Stadium, 18 Miller-University, or 609 Dexter-University.
• Coming from the Northeast Side of Ann Arbor: You can take the 1 Pontiac-Dhu Varren, 1U Pontiac-University 2 Plymouth, 17 Amtrak-Depot St. or 22 Connector.
• Coming from the South Side of Ann Arbor: You can take the 16 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, 7 South Main-East, 36 Wolverine Tower Shuttle, 6 Ellsworth, 0r 5 Packard.
• Coming from the East Side of Ann Arbor, including the Ypsi area: You can take the 3 Huron River, 4 Washtenaw, 5 Packard, 6 Ellsworth, 7 South Main-East, or 14 Geddes-E. Stadium.
• Bus Service to and in Ypsilanti: Routes 4 Washtenaw, 5 Packard, 6 Ellsworth, 10 Ypsilanti-Northeast , 11 Ypsilanti South, 20 Ypsilanti Grove-Ecorse and 33 EMU Shuttle provide service to and in Ypsilanti.

Live Outside of Ann Arbor? Consider Park & Ride

The AATA has 5 Park & Ride Lots throughout Ann Arbor. You can park at Park & Ride Lots for free and take the bus to work. Lots more info on Park and Ride Lots is on the getDowntown website and on the AATA website.  Here is an overview of the lots:

• Coming from the Northwest Side of Ann Arbor (including Scio, Pinckney, Dexter, Chelsea, etc:): Miller Road Lot (at Miller and M-14), served by Routes 18 Miller-University and 609 Dexter-University.
• Coming from the Northeast side of Ann Arbor (including Plymouth, Livonia, etc.): Green Road Lot (at Baxter), or Plymouth Road Park & Ride served by Routes 2 Plymouth and Route 22 Connector.
• Coming from the  South or Southwest side of Ann Arbor (including Milan, Saline, Pittsfield, etc.): Pioneer High School Lot (at Pioneer High School on Main St), served by Routes 7 South Main-East, 14 Geddes-E. Stadium or 16 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.
• Coming from the South side of Ann Arbor (including Milan, Saline, Pittsfield, etc.): State Street Lot (at State Street across from Howard Cooper Honda), served by Route 36 Wolverine Tower Shuttle.
• Casual Park & Ride Lots: There are also many places throughout Ann Arbor where there are large parking lots adjacent to bus stops (such as Veterans Park in Ann Arbor).  These are casual park and ride lots, which means you can park, but you park at your own risk.

Live in Chelsea, Canton or Brighton? Consider These Commuter Bus Services

• ExpressRide (formerly A2Express) offers Commuter Buses from Canton and Chelsea right to downtown Ann Arbor.  Each bus is equipped with WiFi to make your commute fly by!
• If you have a go!pass, you can receive a 50% discount on a monthly ExpressRide pass (you must purchase the pass for this bus through getDowntown)
  
• Click here for more information on ExpressRide!
• People’s Express runs a commuter bus service from Brighton to the UM Medical Campus and the State Street area of downtown Ann Arbor.  The cost is just $1/ride!  Click here for more details.
  

Late-Night Bus Service

• Night Ride: Night Ride is a shared-ride taxi service  that operates when TheRide fixed-route bus service is not operating.
  • Night Ride runs Mon-Fri 11pm-6am, Sat 7pm-7:30am and Sun 7pm-6am.
  • The fare is $5 per person, but only $3 if you show your go!pass.
  • If you use your go!pass, one leg of your trip must be in downtown Ann Arbor.
  • The Night Ride service area runs all the way to Ypsilanti. Click here for more information.

Bikes on the Bus

Every AATA Bus has a bike rack for your bike. Combining biking with riding the bus can save you time and give you a chance to get some exercise. Click here for step-by-step instructions for putting your bike on the bus.

Bus Riding Hints and Tips

Here are some basic hints and tips to keep in mind when riding the bus:

• Get a Zipcar Membership: If you sometimes need a car and you work downtown, consider a Zipcar. Zipcars allow you to check out a car by the hour for when you need it.  That way, you can keep your car at home.  There are more than 20 Zipcars located in downtown Ann Arbor and on the UM Campus.
• Plan your trip ahead of time: Make sure you have a good idea of your route before you go.  If you need help planning your route, contact getDowntown (if you work downtown), the AATA, or use Google Transit.
• Check out the Real Time Bus info so you know when you bus will be there: You can find this info on the AATA’s Routes and Schedules page.  This info is also available for your mobile device by clicking here.
• Arrive at the bus stop early: Better to be at the stop early than to watch the bus pass you by as you run to catch it.
• Give it a week or two: If your bus is late or something happens on the first day of your ride, don’t give up! Try riding the bus for a week or two to really see if it’s right for you.
• Try it once a week: Make a commitment to trying to ride the bus once a week and compare it to your usual commute.
• Ask someone who rides the bus for advice: There are lots of people who ride the bus to work. Perhaps someone at your work is a Commuter Challenge Ambassador.  Either way, find someone at work who rides the bus to get a sense of the best route to take to get to your work.  If you work downtown, getDowntown can also help you out.  Just contact us!

Other Bus and Transit Services

• AirRide Service to Detroit Metro Airport from downtown Ann Arbor.
• Complete listing of AATA Programs and Services.
• UM Parking and Transportation Services: Information on UM buses and bus routes.
• People’s Express: Offers some commuter bus service to downtown Ann Arbor from Brighton.
• The WAVE: AATA’s Route 9 connects with the WAVE at the AATA bus stop on Jackson Road by Wagner.  The WAVE provides service to Dexter and Chelsea. Call 734-475-9494 for more details on this service.
• MegaBus: Megabus provides direct bus service from Ann Arbor to Chicago, Cleveland, Toledo, and Pittsburgh. Access other cities via its Chicago hub.  
• Amtrak Ann Arbor: The Ann Arbor Amtrak Station provides service to Chicago, Detroit, Jackson and more.
• RideConnect: A coordination center that provides individuals with information and referrals on available transportation options. This information is based on travel needs in Washtenaw County and selected areas in Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne Counties.
  

Other Transit Resources

• Information on the Washtenaw Livingston Line (WALLY) Commuter Rail from the AATA website.
• Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Transit Master Plan Website
  
• Information on the Ann Arbor-Detroit Rail Project from SEMCOG.
  
• Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS): Provides information on plans for transportation projects in Washtenaw County.
  
• Transportation Riders United: Advocacy organization to improve transit in the Detroit-Metropolitan area.
• Washtenaw Partners for Transit