Macatawa Area Express (MAX) is the

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

operator serving

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (formerly known locally as the Black River). ...

, providing the area with fixed-route buses and

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

services. Founded in 2000, the system takes its name from the

Macatawa River The Macatawa River, also known as the Black River, is located in the lower part of Ottawa County, Michigan, which drains into Lake Macatawa and eventually into Lake Michigan. The main stream is long. The name Macatawa is a mis-phoneticization of ...

and

Lake Macatawa Lake Macatawa is a lake in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Geography The lake is about long with a maximum width of and a surface area of . The average depth of the lake is variable but generally less than , excluding a naviga ...

History

MAX was originally established in the year 2000 as an outgrowth of Holland's dial-a-ride bus service. Until July 1, 2007, the system was under Holland city government's direct jurisdiction. Since then, Macatawa Area Express has been governed by an independent Transportation Authority board made up of representatives from the City of Holland and Holland Charter Township.

Bus service

The MAX system consists of eleven fixed routes, supplemented by dial-a-ride service. Fixed routes are operated with a fleet of

Gillig Low Floor The Gillig Low Floor (originally named Gillig H2000LF and also nicknamed Gillig Advantage) is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation. The second low-floor bus introduced in the United States (after the New Flyer LF), the Low Floor ...

buses. Each route begins at the top of each hour at the

Louis & Helen Padnos Transportation Center Holland station, also known as the Padnos Transportation Center, is an intermodal transit station in Holland, Michigan. It serves Amtrak's '' Pere Marquette'' line and is the central hub for Macatawa Area Express (MAX) buses. The facility includes ...

, the system's hub in downtown Holland, which is also served by

Indian Trails Indian Trails, Inc. is an inter-city bus company based in Owosso, Michigan, with offices in Romulus (in Metro Detroit) and Kalamazoo. History Indian Trails was founded in 1910 in Owosso as the Phillips-Taylor Livery Service, whose main busi ...

intercity buses and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Pere Marquette Jacques Marquette S.J. (June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Sainte Marie, and later founded Saint Igna ...

''.

Route list

*1 North Mall Area *2 Butternut/136th St *3 Southshore Area *4 Waverly/120th St *5 Washington/South River *6 Holland Heights *7 Lincoln/South Town *8 Zeeland *9 Twilight Route *10 Twilight North *11 James/E. Riley

Hours of operation

Routes 1-8 and 11 operate between 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM on Saturdays; the last trip of each route leaves downtown at 6 PM and returns at 7 PM. Nighttime service is provided by routes 9 and 10 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. MAX service does not run on Sundays.

Fares

Fares are $1.00 for adults and $0.50 for children between 5–17 years old. Children younger than five and senior citizens ride for free.

References

External links

* {{Michigan public transit Bus transportation in Michigan Transportation in Ottawa County, Michigan