FAQs

• Bus pass — Swipe or dip your fixed-route pass in the farebox when you board. Passes are available online, at the CTC, at the CATA Administrative Office, and at vendor locations throughout the area.
• Cash — Fareboxes accept $1, $5, and $10 bills and all U.S. coins. Drivers cannot make change. If you overpay, the farebox issues a CATACash Card for the difference, redeemable on future fixed-route trips.
• Contactless payment — Credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are accepted.
• Mobile apps — Pay through the CATA app on your smartphone.

View All Fares & Payment Options

Children under 42 inches tall ride free on all CATA fixed-route buses when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. Standard adult fare applies to children 42 inches or taller. Veterans from all U.S. Armed Forces and Reserves ride free every day on all CATA fixed-route services.

You may qualify for a discounted fare if you hold one of the following:

• CATA Student ID
• College Student ID
• CATAClub Card
• Medicare Card
• ADA Card

Discount fares apply to most CATA services. Spec-Tran and Shopping Bus fares are not discounted. Drivers may ask to see your ID card when paying a discounted cash fare.

View Discounted Fare Requirements

A CATACash Card is issued automatically by the farebox when you pay cash and overpay your fare. The card holds the difference between what you owed and what you paid, and can be used toward future fares on CATA fixed-route buses. CATACash Cards cannot be redeemed for cash and are only accepted on fixed-route buses — not on Spec-Tran or other curb-to-curb services.

CATA passes are available in four ways:

• Online through the secure CATA store
• At the CATA Transportation Center, 420 S. Grand Avenue, downtown Lansing
• At the CATA Administrative Office in south Lansing
• At vendor locations throughout the Greater Lansing area

Buy passes online

Get to your stop 5–10 minutes early and stand where the driver can see you. As the bus approaches, check the route number on the display above the windshield. Wave to signal the driver, then board and pay your fare. CATA buses have a low-floor design and are equipped with a lift for easier boarding.

Read the Full Rider Guide

When you are about one block from your destination, pull the yellow cord to signal the driver to stop at the next bus stop. Exit through the rear door. Wait for the bus to pull away before crossing the street. If your bike is on the front rack, exit through the front door and let the driver know before you get off.

When you board your first bus and pay your fare, ask the driver for a free transfer card. The farebox prints a card with the date and expiration time. Each transfer is valid for two hours and can be used up to two times within that window. Insert the card in the farebox slot when boarding your next bus. Transfers allow travel in one direction only and cannot be used for return trips. If you transfer to a higher-fare service like CATA Rural Service, you must pay the difference in fare. 

You only need a paper transfer if you pay at the farebox using cash or a bus pass. If you use a contactless payment method, transfers are applied automatically and no paper slip is needed. Be sure to request a paper transfer when paying at the farebox—if you don’t, you’ll need to pay another fare when boarding your next bus.

Items found on CATA buses or at CATA facilities are turned in to the Lost & Found at the CATA Transportation Center, 420 S. Grand Avenue in downtown Lansing. You must claim your item within 10 days. Lost & Found hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–7 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. To check whether your item has been found, call 517-394-1000.

Yes. Bike racks are available on the front of every fixed-route CATA bus at no charge. No permit or advance reservation is required. Racks hold up to three bikes on a first-come, first-served basis. If the rack is full, you will need to wait for the next bus.

Recumbent bikes, tandem bikes, and three-wheeled bikes are not permitted — they do not fit safely in the racks. Motorized bikes with gasoline tanks are also prohibited. CATA assumes no liability for injuries or damage to bikes or personal property while using the racks.

Signal the driver as the bus stops, then lower the rack if it’s folded up. Load your bike closest to the bus with the front tire facing the locking arm. Place the wheels in the wheel wells and pull the locking handle over the front tire. When unloading, exit through the front door, tell the driver, pull up on the support arm to release, and lift your bike free. Fold the rack back up if it’s empty.

Yes. Secured bike lockers are available for rent at the CATA Transportation Center, 420 S. Grand Avenue in downtown Lansing. The fee is $10 per month (non-refundable) plus a $30 refundable deposit. To rent a locker, contact CATA Customer Experience at the CTC information booth, call 517-394-1000, or email info@cata.org. A valid photo ID and permanent mailing address are required.

Spec-Tran provides advance-reservation, curb-to-curb service for riders with disabilities who are unable to use fixed-route buses. Call Spec-Tran directly at 517-394-2282, Monday–Sunday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Spec-Tran rides can also be booked and managed online through My Spec-Tran. Riders must be ADA-certified to use Spec-Tran service. 

Note: 517-394-2282 is a direct Spec-Tran line, separate from the main CATA Customer Experience number.

Learn About Spec-Tran

Book a Spec-Tran Ride Online

Call 517-394-CATA (2282) as soon as possible to cancel. The cancellation line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Cancellations must be made at least 90 minutes before the start of your scheduled pick-up window. Spec-Tran riders can also cancel through My Spec-Tran online.

Sign up for Rider Alerts to receive service change and detour notices delivered directly to your phone or inbox. You can choose to receive alerts for specific routes so you only get updates that affect your commute.

Simply put, a wait stop trip involves a scheduled trip from point A to point B, with a brief stop in between. The purpose of a wait stop is to give riders the flexibility of making a quick drop-off or pickup during their ride before arriving at their final destination.  Riders who schedule a wait stop trip will be able to stay on the same Spec-Tran vehicle for the duration of the trip.  

Examples of wait stop trips might include but are not limited to:  

• Dropping off or picking up a child from school or day care before proceeding to work or home;  
• Grocery pickup before proceeding home;  
• Dropping off or picking up a service animal to or from the vet or groomer before proceeding to work or home;  
• Picking up carryout food from a restaurant or store before continuing to a final drop-off.  

Yes. Spec-Tran vehicles are not permitted to take clients through drive thru service. Also, we encourage you not to arrange wait stop trips for medical appointments or other situations where the duration of your business cannot be accurately anticipated to have you return to the vehicle within 15 minutes. 

You may only arrange one wait stop per trip. 

Only two wait stop trips may be arranged per day, provided they are not back-to-back wait stops. Exceptions for more than two wait stop trips may be permitted on an as-needed basis with paratransit supervisor approval. 

The cost is $2.50 for each direction of travel. For example, a pickup from home to the grocery store then back again will cost $2.50 for the pickup at home and another $2.50 for the return trip. The total round-trip cost for this trip would be $5.  

The time allowed for a wait stop shall be kept to a minimum with a maximum time of no more than 15 minutes.

The only difference from a wait stop and any other trip is that there is a brief stop between the initial pick up and the final destination. There may be riders in the vehicle when you begin your ride and individuals who may be dropped off before you reach the wait stop and individuals that may be picked up or dropped off after you complete the wait stop. 

If the rider does not complete the wait stop within 15 minutes and misses their next trip, they will be responsible for calling CATA to schedule another ride. 

Schedulers are expected to, and most likely will, find an available time to accommodate a requested wait stop trip. However, there may be rare instances at exceptionally busy times of the day (8 a.m.- 10 a.m.  and 2:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.) when wait stop trips may be difficult to schedule at the specific time the rider is requesting. If possible, please arrange wait stop trips in avoidance of these times. 

Note: When preparing for a wait stop pickup or drop-off, anticipate and plan for a variety of situations. Consider the following best practices:

• Select the best entrance and/or exit that allows for maximum efficiency. Be sure this is clearly communicated when scheduling your trip.
• Make arrangements in advance of the wait stop. If you are picking up groceries or items from a store or restaurant, call in advance to make sure your items are ready for pickup.
• Pay in advance over the phone to avoid a possible line at checkout.
• Let the establishment know that you are using Spec-Tran and give the estimated time you will arrive. Let them know that once you arrive your business needs to be completed very quickly as the CATA driver cannot wait long.  
• Many people do not know much about CATA or Spec-Tran. You may need to explain to the business what Spec-Tran is and that the driver cannot wait long as they are on a schedule.

The better prepared the rider is in advance of the wait stop, the better chance the ride will be completed on time. A ride completed on time not only benefits the rider involved but the driver and other riders who are scheduled for rides thereafter.

Call CATA’s Paratransit Department to book your wait stop trip aboard Spec-Tran at 517-394-2282 (CATA). CATA’s ride reservation line is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week, year-round, including holidays. You may schedule a ride up to 14 days in advance of your trip. Spec-Tran service is not available on a same-day basis. Next-day ride requests must be received by 5 p.m.