ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Service changes designed to improve on-time performance and increase passenger safety and comfort are planned by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide) to go into effect on Sunday, January 30.

In five years, this guy Al McWilliams has built up Quack! Media into one swingin' media empire. By doing everything from making demented Super Deluxe videos, distributing Found Magazine and releasing records by area powerhouses Tally Hall, the Hard Lessons, Great Lakes Myth Society and the whole Suburban Sprawl roster, the dude has already left an indelible footprint on Michigan's creative scene.

From what I see, the previous executive director had a very top-down style. That has created an AATA culture where the staff, while very competent, aren’t empowered to speak up. Everything I hear about the interim ED, Dawn Gabay, tells me that she was a great operations manager, but that’s a different skill set than what is needed for an Executive Director.

Jesse Bernstein, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, has been appointed to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board of directors.

Bernstein was sworn in by Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje on June 19 and took his seat on the board at its July 23 meeting.

last year's bus status report

office furniture and equipment piled on curb; landlord says “chronic non-payment of rent” caused eviction of web hosting company IAS; provides service for AATA; AATA website currently down;

Does it have an API? Permalink to this paragraph

Funny thought perhaps, or maybe only in the Bay Area -- but our subway system -- BART, has an API. And it's kind of fun. I spent a couple of hours today hacking together an application, it's not all that useful, but one of these days something else will get an API that plugs in nicely and something interesting will happen.

commuter tools for riders of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus system

The current level of bus service in Ypsilanti will be maintained next year, city officials said this week as they prepared to vote on a new contract with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority next Tuesday.

When a Route 6 hybrid bus heading southeast toward AATA headquarters whirred to a stop at the Blake terminal, I flashed my student ID (in lieu of paying the $1 fare) to join a dozen other riders enjoying mass transit at its finest. The blue, gray, and white seating area was spotlessly clean. The air-conditioner's cool breeze kept the bus's interior free of diesel noise and odor. Regular riders smile when one of the hybrids appears at their stop, because these buses are smoother, quieter, and cleaner than their diesel-only counterparts.

# From September 7-12th, 2008, ride the bus to work, take the Link, use Park and Ride, ride the a2Chelsea Express or check out the Nightride Shuttle and you could win free lunch from downtown restaurants for a week! Your organization could win free $5 Sweetwater's Gift Cards! There will also be prizes for the person who rides the bus the most number of times during the week. # And the best part is, you only need to ride the bus once to participate!

The president of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority told members of the Ypsilanti City Council Tuesday evening not to rely on subsidies from the transportation authority anymore.

The AATA is proposing services changes in the fall. If you have any comments or concerns about the changes, there are ways for you voice your opinion.

On the morning commute, sometimes fog fills the river valley like a sleepy white dragon. Afternoons, the river sparkles in the lowering sun. A rider gazing at it likely will conclude that the #3 is the AATA’s most beautiful route.

Adopt that bus stop near your home or office, and make sure it's cleaned off.

When you get off the bus, please look around to make sure you aren't leaving anything behind.

"If we had been left alone, probably the building would be just about completed by now," said Greg Cook, who now works in Las Vegas, after losing his job as the executive director of the AATA following questions over travel expenses.

manufacturers of the transmission that goes into the AATA's new Gillig hybrid buses

The Allison parallel system provides both a mechanical and an electrical path through the drive unit. As the bus accelerates from a stop, electric drive predominates. The mechanical drive gradually blends with the electric drive until, at highway speeds,

"People say how quiet these buses are compared to regular diesel engines," said Carnnell Taite, an AATA bus driver who has driven the hybrid buses.

Welcome to the Commuter Connection. Here you'll find tips, trends and info about commuting in downtown Ann Arbor.

During a recent bus trip in Ann Arbor, Jim Rees noticed he couldn't read house numbers clearly through a shrink-wrapped advertisement on the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's bus.

news stream for AATA stories

student move-in route deviations on the 5 outbound cause unhappy riders who don't get picked up

Route 5 - Packard • To Ann Arbor: Regular route on Packard to State to William to Fourth to the Blake Transit Center. There will be no service on Thompson Street.

AATA is entering negotiations with unionized workers and is negotiating a development agreement for the William Street Station, which will include a new bus depot, Nacht said. Both of those negotiations make it an inopportune time to seek a new executive

That's right! As part of Curb Your Car Month, the AATA is offering free rides all day this Friday, May 25th. Read the press release here.

Mass transit riders will be able to ride the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses for free May 25 as part of the city's Curb Your Car Month programs.

mobile phone + QR Code or semacode reader + real time bus schedules (like mobile ridetrak) = point and click bus status. if you have a fancy phone AND/OR you ride the AATA let's talk

Ted Annis, a member of the AATA board, paused for nearly half a minute before giving his reaction to the resignation. "My official reaction is we wish him well,'' Annis said.

Redrawing the Link Bus map so that I can see at a glance when the bus is supposed to be at a given stop, instead of the teeny tiny inscrutable alphabetical signs they use.

A strong and innovative public transportation system is also necessary for any city looking to expand and encourage more businesses to move in. Ann Arbor's transportation revitalization could be the first step toward promoting more growth in a city that d

something I'd like to have, shouldn't be hard.

Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Executive Director Greg Cook said this morning that he is submitting his resignation today. (Note to self: pay for your own travel when you are job hunting.)

New hybrid buses could save a little more than $9,000 each in fuel costs during their first year of use, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority officials say. AATA has ordered 20 new buses, and at least 13 of them will be hybrids, AATA Executive Director Gr

do any of the board members regularly board the bus?

where's the bus, statistically. for the ann arbor transit authority ridetrak, ideas

annotated bus map with time points

if i catch it at kerrytown, it trims a few minutes off the commute home. on the way to work it rarely makes sense to wait for the transfer, it's easier just to walk.

comment from the AATA's IT manager re ridetrak mobile theride info

bkerr status report. "The nice thing about riding the bus is that you’re always early for the next bus, even if that’s not the one you wanted to be on."

after hours shared ride service in Ann Arbor, $5/trip.

mobile.theride.org

more on the ypsi bus system petition - 500 people have signed so far.

first pass at google maps for ann arbor / ypsi bus routes

a start of a discussion on the topic on the Get Downtown site

hey, the aata had a bulletin board running for a while. who knew??

short aata promo videos

if you give it away, they will ride. ridership up 12% in 3 months with no increase in service