Michigan mass transit agencies are waiting to find out how much money they will get from the state in 2026.

Lawmakers have until October 1 to approve a budget and send it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer to sign.

Transit proposals are similar

The governor, the state House, and the state Senate have all approved $226 million for local bus operating revenue. The House budget proposal adds $60 million in new revenue for transit systems that serve more than 100,000 people. The Senate plan includes $15 million in new funding.

The Michigan Public Transit Association analyzed all three budget plans. It says bus systems would lose an average of 5 or 6 percent in state funding if the $226 million figure is approved.

SMART, Southeast Michigan’s regional bus service, gets about a quarter of its funding from the state. General Manager Tiffany Gunter says the governor’s proposal would cost SMART about $8.6 million.

“We obviously don’t know where those cuts would come from directly today,” Gunter says. “This would have a horrible effect on the region’s ability to move mobility forward.”

Cuts jeopardize improvements

Gunter, who became SMART’s GM in August, says state budget cuts threaten plans to improve customer service. That includes expanding the Flex program, which lets people in about a dozen communities schedule shuttle rides seven days a week.

“We wouldn’t be able to move forward with those improvements to the service and those enhancements, because we just wouldn’t have the funding to do so,” she says. “We’d be looking at areas where we could pull back service instead.”

While the House proposal is more generous than either Whitmer’s or the Senate’s, Gunter says the devil is in the details. To get a share of the extra $60 million, a transit system must get at least 10% of its revenue from rider fares. Gunter says SMART’s farebox recovery ratio is 4%.

“43% of our riders are either seniors or people with disabilities, and those individuals pay a half fare,” she says.

Most funding comes from regional tax

60% of SMART’s revenue comes from a regional transit millage, which enables the agency to offer fare discounts.

Gunter says her goal is to ensure that SMART buses are safe, convenient, and reliable.

“We’re not just moving people here,” she says. “We know that what we do every day gives people access to opportunity.”

SMART says it carries an average of almost 11 million riders per year.

Detroit’s Department of Transportation is installing new boarding platforms on East Jefferson for bus riders.  

It’s part of a pilot program to enhance safety and efficiency for bus passengers. 21 new elevated platforms will extend from the curb across bike and parking lanes to provide faster boarding for passengers.  

Buses will stay in the right lane to pick up riders instead of pulling to the curb and moving in and out of traffic. 

 The platforms will have ramps on each side to allow for bikers to seamlessly pass over the platforms without leaving the bike lane. 

 New shelters will be placed at each of the platform locations. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of next month. 

Additional headlines from Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025

Section of Southwest Detroit nominated for historic designation 

The Detroit City Council Historic Designation Advisory Board is nominating a section of the Bagley and West Vernor highway commercial district for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation would honor Southwest Detroit’s century old legacy of Latin American culture.

The Board will present the nomination at its public monthly board meeting on September 11th at 4 p.m. Attendees will be able to comment on the proposed historic district designation, ask questions about the process, and learn more about the benefits of a National Register historic district.

The meeting will be held at the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation offices at 2853 Bagley. 

Labor Day events in metro Detroit

Labor Day Weekend is here and there are several events happening across the Metro Detroit Area. 

• The Michigan State Fair at the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi Starts today. The fair will feature a farmer’s market, carnival rides, livestock exhibits and competitions, a beer festival and more. 

• The Detroit Jazz Festival kicks off tomorrow, Friday, August 29 with a special performance by the 2025 Artist-in Residence Jason Moran. 

• Royal Oak’s Arts, Beats, and Eats returns. The four-day festival will feature over 200 performers, dozens of food vendors, and artists showcasing and selling their work. 

• Eastern Market is hosting the Detroit Sandwich Party on Sunday. The one-day festival for sandwich enthusiasts will feature many small format sandwiches for purchase along with beer, wine and other non-alcoholic beverages from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Campgrounds almost fully booked for this weekend

Michigan’s state park campgrounds are almost fully reserved this Labor Day weekend. Last minute campers can check the Michigan Department of Natural Resources digital dashboard map which tracks the booking status of state parks.

State forest campgrounds offer camping on a first-come, first-serve basis, meaning campsites can’t be reserved. 

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Detroit expands access with surge in paratransit ridership

Paratransit ridership in Detroit has increased. That’s according to the Detroit Department of Transportation. Trip requests have nearly doubled since the launch of DDOT NOW, a same day paratransit service to help mobilize residents with a disability in the city.

The service is available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and can be requested as quickly as an hour ahead. D-DOT is now exploring hybrid vehicles for the service, cashless payment options, and app-based trip booking alternatives.

Detroit emergency vehicles to get cloud technology

Detroit will equip some police and fire vehicles with cloud technology designed to improve public safety. The devices transmit signals over cellular networks to alert motorists when an emergency vehicle is nearby.

The goal is to remind drivers to move over when they approach a fire truck, police car, or ambulance.

Community benefits meeting on new soccer stadium

The Detroit Planning and Development Department is holding a community benefits ordinance meeting tonight. The Detroit City Football Club, also known as DCFC, has announced plans to build a new soccer stadium in Southwest Detroit on the site of an abandoned hospital.

The 11-acre development is expected to open in 2027. The community benefits ordinance process ensures residents have input into major development projects through a neighborhood advisory council.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at the Mexicantown CDC Mercado on 2826 Bagley. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Michigan State Police step up Labor Day drunk driving enforcement

Michigan State Police are cracking down on drunk driving through Labor Day. Officials have created a task force to increase enforcement and messaging through the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.

The effort is a collaboration between state police and local law enforcement agencies. Officials say between mid-August and Labor Day there is an increase in crashes involving drivers under the influence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports one person is killed about every 45 minutes in a drunk driving accident.

Detroit PBS to premiere new documentary

Catch the new documentary Islam’s Greatest Stories of Love on Detroit PBS Saturday at 9 p.m. The film chronicles Ariella Gayotto Hohl’s journey grieving the death of her father.

An Islamic religion scholar, she travels the world interviewing members of the Muslim community about how their faith and culture help them navigate love and grief.

Gayotto Hohl spoke with One Detroit’s Chris Jordan about the film. Watch their conversation tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit PBS.

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Heat is now the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S. — with 12,000 lives claimed annually — and this number is expected to increase significantly by the turn of the century.

In large cities, temperatures in the summer can reach even higher than normal due to the “urban heat island” effect. 

New data compiled by the nonprofit American Forests and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation identifies areas in cities across the United States that lack enough protection from the sun.  These areas are known as “shade deserts.” 

The new shade map covers more than 100 of the country’s biggest urban areas, including Detroit.

One effective way to stay cooler is by increasing shade, especially through planting trees, which can reduce the effects of high temps significantly. But according to American Forests a lack of shade in Detroit — especially at bus stops and along roadways — is harming thousands. 

Less than 60% of households in Detroit have air conditioning, said Chris David, vice president of GIS & Data Science at American Forests. Additionally, he says those using public and alternative transit are even more at risk of heat-related illness and death. 

“I think there’s about 5,000 bus stops in Detroit,” David said. “About 90% of those 5,000 bus stops have poor shade.” 

He says bus shelters provide “very little” sun protection, with only about 5% of bus stops in the city covered.  

“That means we estimated about 85,000 daily transit riders in Detroit….they’re left exposed to the sun when they’re waiting for the bus… and that can have dire effects,” David said.

David says Detroit will benefit from a strategic plan to increase the tree canopy, with groups like the Greening of Detroit working toward that goal in partnership with city government. 

You can view the American Forests/UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation shade map here. 

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.