Mass Transportation Authority (Flint)
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The Mass Transportation Authority (abbreviated MTA) is the government operator of public mass transportation based in
Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
that provides local bus services in Genesee County and commuter bus services to
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
,
Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...
, Lapeer, Ingham and Saginaw counties.


Description

Service began in 1972, with the fleet consisting of 26 buses serving the city of Flint with 14 routes and hourly service. Current MTA fleet vehicles span from 1996 to 2022. The total MTA fleet includes 283 in service vehicles with one hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, 143 propane vehicles, and 16 hybrid diesel or gasoline/electric. Thirteen standard, all-day routes are provided within the city of Flint and its inner suburbs, as well as nine peak hour services (which feature different numbers for each variation of the route).Primary Routes
MTA Flint official site
Peak Period Routes - January 2019
Flint MTA official site
The MTA also provides peak route service to several charter schools in Genesee County. Several regional routes are also operated using coach-style buses, providing all day commuter bus service to
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
,
Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...
, and Lapeer counties.Regional Routes
Flint MTA official site
The MTA also operates Your Ride, a mini-bus service for special needs customers. It also owns and operates the inter-modal Flint station, which also serves Amtrak, and
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 ...
.


Special services

In 2015, the MTA partnered with Genesys Health System's
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) are programs within the United States that provide comprehensive health services for individuals age 55 and over who are sufficiently frail to be categorized as "Nursing home care, nursing home ...
(PACE) to provide transportation services for eligible citizens. Your Ride also has special services called Ride to Groceries, Ride to Wellness, and Ride to Worship. The Federal Transit Administration awarded the MTA a $310,040 grant to support the Ride to Wellness Initiative in September 2016. The Flint Jewish Federation donated $40,000 to the MTA to support the Ride to Wellness Initiative in March 2017. It received another grant for $734,752 for the program from the United States Department of Transportation in May of 2019. The Michigan Department of Transportation announced the MTA was awarded a $603,500 Michigan Mobility grant for the Vets for Wellness in October 2018. The MTA Flint Trolley is back until October 2019. The trolley provides rides to the Flint Farmers’ Market from the downtown Flint area every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Residents interested in riding the trolley can be picked up at the following sites: University of Michigan-Flint “S” Lot, Northbank Center, Churchhills, Flint Farmers’ Market, Third Street and Wallenberg, Saginaw and Second streets, University of Michigan-Flint Pavilion and Soggy Bottom Bar.


Proposed routes

Since January 2014, the MTA has been attempting to secure government funding to provide intercity service between Bay City and Detroit.


Upgrades and expansions

Since 2009, the MTA has made several upgrades and expansions to its fleet and facilities. The Flint MTA received a $7.985 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration that was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for new
Project 25 Project 25 (P25 or APCO-25) is a suite of standards for interoperable digital two-way radio products. P25 was developed by public safety professionals in North America and has gained acceptance for public safety, security, public service, and c ...
digital radio dispatch equipment and mobile data terminals, new intelligent transportation system software and equipment, preventive maintenance, and the purchase and installation of new signage and security equipment. Starting in October 2012, the MTA began refurbishing 36 of its buses, extending their lives by 6–8 years.Genesee County MTA extends fleet longevity by refurbishing buses
''The Flint Journal'' via MLive.com, October 11, 2012
On the same day, they announced their board of directors approved a $4.2 million deal to purchase 60 propane powered mini-buses that replaced the diesel-engine vans used by Your Ride. The MTA purchased an additional 35 propane-powered mini-buses for their Your Ride service, nearly doubling their previous fleet, starting in the spring of 2013. The report also said the MTA Your Ride service purchased another 62 mini-buses in fall 2014, for a grand total of 160 vehicles. In September 2016, the MTA received a $15 million grant ($12.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration and $2.2 million from the Michigan Department of Transportation) that were used to buy 32 compressed natural gas buses. They replaced some buses that were 20 years old and had over 600,000 miles on them. Some of the money was used to train mechanics and drivers in conjunction with a workforce training development program at Baker College of Flint. The MTA made upgrades to its Davison service center on
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(N. State Rd.) in the summer of 2017. The MTA purchased the former Baker College Center for Transportation Technology complex at Dort Highway and I-69 for $1 million in the fall of 2018. It will be used to house its Ride to Wellness vehicles. Other buildings on the grounds will be used for bus driver training, a school-to-work program for mechanics training, and vehicle storage and maintenance. In November 2019, the MTA received a $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to purchase new buses and refurbish their older buses.Flint Mass Transportation Authority to receive $4.3 million federal grant
Mid Michigan Now (WEYI-TV/WSMH), November 20, 2019
In August 2022, MTA received a $4.3 million grant to add more hydrogen fuel cell buses and improve the fueling station in Grand Blanc.


References


External links

* {{Michigan public transit Bus transportation in Michigan Flint, Michigan Transportation in Genesee County, Michigan