Advancing Rural Mobility Program
Benzie bus on a flat landscape by the water

Information Center

Upcoming Events

Nov. 19, 2024, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Join this session to learn about leveraging technology to streamline your operations. Wes Salisbury, senior technology consultant with the accounting firm Maner Costerisan, will talk about different pieces of software being used to bring your reporting and data analytics to the next level.

Dec. 17, 2024, 10-11 a.m.

The city of Detroit recently launched two new transit services that use autonomous shuttles. One targets older adults and people with disabilities, providing access to over 100 locations around the city; the other loops from Corktown through downtown to the East Jefferson Riverfront and is open to the general public. Learn more about these services from Tim Slusser, Detroit’s chief of mobility innovation.

Jan. 16, 2025, 2-3 p.m.

The swiftly changing landscape of transit technology can be difficult to keep up with, especially for small agencies with minimal capacity. Fortunately, there are resources available to these agencies at no cost. One of these resources is the National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) and their technical assistance work. Andrew Carpenter, N-CATT’s director, will talk to attendees about the technical assistance you can receive — from figuring out where to start in tech investment to nailing down specifications for a new fare payment system — and how the center can work with you.

News & Announcements

New Innovations for Rural Public Transit Agencies Highlighted in Video News Release

July 3, 2024

LANSING Mich. – Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Charlevoix County Transit (CCT) recently announced a significant leap forward in improving rural mobility through the Advancing Rural Mobility pilot project. This innovative project provides new online tools for both rural public transit agencies and their riders to help plan their trips, find transit services more easily and provide for a better overall travel experience. MDOT’s video news release highlights the project benefits, which were presented at a media event held in Boyne City late last week.

Types of Transit Services and Supporting Data Specifications

Rural agencies in Michigan provide an array of demand-response transit services for their communities. The pilot agencies in this project, Benzie Transportation Authority (Benzie Bus), Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority (WexExpress), Charlevoix County Transit, and Roscommon County Transportation Authority, all provide curb-to-curb demand-response transportation services within their respective areas.

Gov. Whitmer Announces Michigan Wins Over $7 Million in Federal Grants to Improve Transportation Efficiency and Safety

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Infrastructure Office is proud to announce that the state of Michigan has been awarded over $7 million in the first round of Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Michigan had the second-highest number of projects funded, receiving the third most total funding in the nation, surpassed only by California and New York.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)