DAX Downtown Detroit to DTW - costs less than $10

[K-slice]

K-Slice, you answered your own question. You don't want this new service to get a bad rap from tourists because they have to go to the Rosa Parks transit center and have to deal with the bums there. What would have been nice if they had built a shelter, but that might attract bums too. I saw a young lady waiting in the cold for this Dax bus. She seem to be braving the elements well and no one was bothering her. Because this stop is across the street from the Book Cadillac Hotel, I think it will make riders feel safer while waiting. It's busy enough with people who aren't bums, so it should work out fine for now. Just hope the bums don't find out about it.

For sure, it's not a good option now, but neither is a random spot on the sidewalk for such a major connection. What if the pickup/ drop-off location at the airport was some random place on the airport service drive marked by nothing more than a sign? Wouldn't make much sense.

Use this new connection as a reason to clean up the RPTC, crack down on the vagrancy, littering, and general distasteful atmosphere.

[Atticus]

When talking about DTW transit to/from Downtown, be it rail or bus, it’s important to remember there are two “audiences” for that transit.

Group 1: The first is the group of people who work at the airport including concession workers, baggage handlers, janitors, and the numerous other non-professional jobs employed at a large airport. This group is not high income, with many in a final situation that having reliable, inexpensive transit would improve quality of life, as paying for a car is a financial burden.

Group 2: The second group consists of visitors by air to Detroit, and higher income professionals living downtown, who may or may not own a car, and are flying from/to DTW.

The existing FAST bus targets group 1. This new bus service targets group 2. It’s also import to acknowledge that the needs of the two groups are different, so having one bus route for both isn’t ideal.