Lansing-area bus riders are paying new fares and navigating altered routes after the Capital Area Transportation Authority rolled out its fall service changes Monday, Aug. 24.
Connector one-way fares increased to $1.25, with discounted fares at 60 cents. CATA Rural Service fares are now standardized at $2.25 for regular trips and $1 for discounted rides. The previous distance-based surcharge for trips over 10 miles has been eliminated. The CATA Board approved the fare changes Aug. 19. (cata.org)
CATA CEO Bradley Funkhouser cited rising costs and a challenging funding environment as drivers of the changes.
"Although current funding constraints require difficult decisions, we remain committed to using our available resources responsibly while providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation throughout the region," Funkhouser said in an Aug. 11 CATA announcement.
Route 1: More consistent service, fewer late-night trips
Route 1, connecting downtown Lansing and Meridian Mall, now runs every 15 minutes on weekdays through early evening and on Saturdays from noon through early evening.
Late-night service Thursday through Saturday has been eliminated. Final buses leave the CATA Transportation Center at 10:20 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the last departure from Meridian Mall at 11 p.m.
CATA received a $50,000 Uber Transit grant to explore a voucher-based pilot program that could subsidize qualifying late-night rides within a mile of the Route 1 corridor. CATA said Monday that it is still evaluating the program's details, agreements and accessibility options, with more information to be announced.
Route 9 no longer serves Lansing Community College
Route 9 no longer stops at Lansing Community College.
The route also dropped its outbound downtown loop along Grand Avenue and Capitol Avenue and instead travels directly onto Kalamazoo Street from the CATA Transportation Center.
CATA says LCC remains accessible through other routes and services. Route 9 continues to run every 30 minutes, seven days a week.
Other changes across the system
Several other changes took effect Monday:
- Route 18 (Capital City Crosstown) now serves Spartan Village on all inbound and outbound trips.
- Route 20 (South Harrison–Jolly-Dunckel) now runs every 40 minutes and no longer enters Spartan Village.
- Route 46 (Mason, Limited) was discontinued and replaced by the 46 – Mason Connector, which operates weekdays from 6:45 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Saturday Connector service was eliminated.
- Route 48 (Williamston–Webberville, Limited) was discontinued and replaced by the 48 – Williamston/Webberville Connector, which operates weekdays from 6:55 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Saturday Connector service was eliminated.
- CATA Rural Service expanded to include the City of Mason. Weekday service runs from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday service is available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Same-day trips can be scheduled up to four hours in advance.
- Spartan Service resumed for the fall semester at Michigan State University.
- CATA Rydz Connect airport service expanded to the Lansing and Delta Township On-Demand zones. It operates from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, and airport trips must be booked at least two hours in advance.
CATA said the changes followed four public meetings and more than 40 public comments before the agency finalized the service package.
Riders with questions can call CATA Customer Experience at 517-394-1000 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, or visit cata.org for current schedules and fare information.
