Can Metro Detroit take its cue from Grand Rapids when it come to an efficient bus system?
Let's hope so. The bus system in Metro Detroit is still laughable, a far cry from what it should be, particularly on freezing days like this, where people stand in the cold, waiting for buses.
Leonard Fleming of the Detroit News reports that Metro Detroit has been studying the system in western Michigan known as The Rapid.
Last August, The Rapid became the first region in Michigan to introduce on the city's main artery, a bus rapid transit — buses designed to travel in dedicated lanes with fewer stops and a simpler boarding process, the News writes.
The News reports:
In Metro Detroit, officials are playing catch-up to the state's second-largest city. The Regional Transit Authority has been studying bus rapid transit routes for Woodward, Gratiot and Michigan avenues and are going ask voters in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties to approve a tax increase for rapid buses in 2016.
And the Silver Line is one BRT route RTA officials plan to visit and learn from in coming months.
