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People Mover Facebook photo.
In May, the shiny QLine became the new baby brother everyone ogled over. The poor People Mover was like the forgotten middle child.
Now, with the closing of Joe Louis Arena, Eric Lawrence has a Detroit Free Press story headlined "Without the Joe, what is Detroit People Mover's future?" He writes:
With the still-new Little Caesars Arena about half a mile away from the nearest station, additional development farther north on Woodward and the closing and expected demolition of the Joe, which provided the People Mover with riders heading to and from Red Wings games and concerts, questions about the future of a system once derided by Time magazine as a “Horizontal Elevator to Nowhere” seem apt.
People Mover supporters say the system remains relevant because of an influx of new residents in the area and its ability to easily move people around downtown. There's also the possibility that whatever replaces the Joe Louis Arena could make up for some of the lost ridership as could a successful landing of Amazon's second headquarters in Detroit.
The system also has its regular riders and boosters, such as Dania Khytaz, 26, a resident of Riverfront Towers who has lived downtown for two years and uses the People Mover to get to her job at Quicken Loans.
Among the 13 stations, Greektown, with its connection to one of Detroit’s three casinos, was listed as the most popular, followed by Renaissance Center and Cobo, according to 2015 figures. Joe Louis, where Khytaz catches the train, was No. 4 that year, he goes on to write.
While the 75-cent fare doesn't cover operations, the city seems committed to the system.
"The People Mover provides a valuable service to circulating people around downtown and there are no plans to make any changes to the current service," Mark De la Vergne, the city’s chief mobility office, tells the Freep.
