The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) is the agency with oversight and service coordination responsibility for

mass 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 ...

operations in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. The counties of Macomb,

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 ...

, Washtenaw, and Wayne are included in the agency's jurisdiction.

Overview

The RTA is governed by a 10-member board which includes two representatives from each county and one representative from Detroit appointed by the county executives, county commission chair of Washtenaw County, and

Mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

, respectively. Additionally, one non-voting representative is appointed by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

; this member chairs the board. Board members serve staggered three-year terms, and may be reappointed. Since members are permitted to serve until a successor is appointed, in effect, they may serve beyond a three-year term. They may not be a current elected official, employee of a county or city in the region, nor an employee of a transportation provider in the region. The board may employ a

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

to oversee the day-to-day operations of the authority.

Powers

The board is granted the authority with a 7/9

supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

of the voting members - including at least one member from each jurisdiction - the power to: *determine the rate of and place on the ballot a levy of an assessment for the funding of transit services and operations. *determine the rate of and place on the ballot a vehicle registration tax for the funding of transit services and operations. *determine to acquire the QLine, and acquire, construct or operate planned

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

services in the region. The board is granted the authority with unanimous consent the power to: *determine to acquire, construct or operate rail passenger service in the region. *determine to acquire a public transit provider in the region upon a vote of the electors of each jurisdiction. *place on the ballot a question of assuming liability or paying legacy costs of an acquired public transportation provider. Elections for the question of the levy of assessments and vehicle registration tax increases can only be held in a presidential election year on the date of the presidential primary election.

History

The RTA has its beginnings in the Metropolitan Transportation Authorities Act of 1967 (Public Act 204). A provision of the act specifically created the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA), but provided the authority with no additional means to levy taxes or fees to fund the operations for the transit providers it had acquired. In 1974, facing a loss of funding from SEMTA and wanting more control of its transit affairs, Detroit's Department of Street Railways (DSR) restructured itself as the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT). On December 7, 1988, Public Act 204 was amended to restructure SEMTA, reducing the service area from seven counties to three, and excluding the city of Detroit. The new transit authority was named the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transit (SMART), and began operation on January 17, 1989. To continue limited coordination and development of services between DDOT and SMART, however, regional leaders representing the three-county area and Detroit filed articles of incorporation to form the Regional Transit Coordinating Council on January 12, 1989. On December 19, 2012 Governor

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previ ...

signed Senate Bill No. 909 into law establishing the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), which included a provision allowing for the first time a way for such a regional transit authority to fund itself. Almost one month later, US Transportation Secretary

Ray LaHood Raymond H. LaHood (born December 6, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the ...

announced that the

M-1 Rail Line The QLine (stylized as QLINE), originally known as M-1 Rail by its developers, is a streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened on May 12, 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodwar ...

would receive US$25 million in federal funding as he had previously indicated such support was dependent on the creation of a regional transit authority for the Detroit region. Along with oversight and coordination responsibilities for the Detroit Department of Transportation, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, and the Detroit Transportation Corporation, the authority was also established to create a single mass transit plan for the region, including the development, funding and operation of

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

along four major corridors in the metropolitan area. The new plan used as its basis the Comprehensive Regional Transit Service Plan, which was adopted on December 8, 2008. The RTA chose

HNTB HNTB Corporation is an American infrastructure design firm. Founded in 1914 in Kansas City, Missouri, HNTB began with the partnership made by Ernest Emmanuel Howard with the firm Waddell & Harrington, founded in 1907. Considered as one of the ...

to assist in the development of the Regional Master Transit Plan in 2015.

Mass transit

The RTA does not operate any mass transit services, itself, but has coordinated one service brand.

Bus service

RefleX was a

limited-stop In public transit, particularly bus, tram, or train transportation, a limited-stop (or sometimes referred to as semi-fast) service is a trip pattern that stops less frequently than a local service. Many limited-stop or semi-fast services are a co ...

, cross-county bus service which started operation on

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend 2016. The service consisted of a route on

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which bisects th ...

operated by DDOT connecting the

Somerset Collection Somerset Collection is a superregional, luxury shopping mall, located in Metro Detroit, in Troy, Michigan with more than 180 specialty stores. Somerset Collection, developed, managed, and co-owned by The Forbes Company, is among the most prof ...

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan ...

and

Downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to the west, Interstate 75 ...

, and two routes on Gratiot Avenue operated by SMART connecting

Mount Clemens Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after the American Revolutionary War by Christi ...

Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...

and Downtown Detroit (7 days a week) and four trips per weekday to

Midtown Detroit Midtown Detroit is a mixed-use area consisting of a business district, cultural center, a major research university, and several residential neighborhoods; it is located along the east and west side of M-1 (Michigan highway), Woodward Avenue, nor ...

. The service ran from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM on weekdays, 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Saturdays, and 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Sundays. RefleX Gratiot service ended January 1, 2018, and RefleX Woodward service ended April 21, 2018.

Projects

In early 2015, the RTA retained

Parsons Brinkerhoff WSP USA, formerly WSP, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Parsons Brinckerhoff, is a multinational engineering and design firm with approximately 14,000 employees. WSP stands for Williams Sale Partnership. The firm operates in the fields of strategic con ...

and

AECOM AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm. AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list. The company's official name from 1990 t ...

to study improved mass transit along the corridors of Gratiot and Michigan avenues. The authority also took over oversight of the Woodward Avenue Alternative Analysis Rapid Transit Alternative study, which found BRT (bus rapid transit) as the locally preferred alternative as the improved mode of transit along a 27-mile stretch of

. The master plan was officially presented to the media and public on May 31, 2016 with highlights including plans for: *4

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

along major corridors. *8 round-trip

regional rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster serv ...

service connecting Ann Arbor and Detroit. *11 cross-county connector routes *4 commuter

express bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...

routes connecting employment centers. *5 express bus routes connecting to

Detroit Metropolitan Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or simply DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering effective December 30, 2021. in Romulus, Michigan. It is the primary ...

. *New and extended existing local bus routes. *Increased

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. The plan was approved by the board on August 4, 2016 with the $4.7 billion plan to go voters for approval on November 8, 2016. The measure failed by a 50.5% to 49.5% margin, with 895,877 voting in favor of the proposal, and 913,856 in opposition. The proposal passed in the counties of Wayne and Washtenaw, but very narrowly lost in Oakland and was defeated handily in Macomb.

References

External links

Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan
{{Michigan public transit Public transportation in Michigan Metro Detroit Transit agencies in the United States Transportation in Detroit Transportation in Macomb County, Michigan Transportation in Oakland County, Michigan Transportation in Washtenaw County, Michigan Transportation in Wayne County, Michigan Bus transportation in Michigan Rapid transit in Michigan