CATA’s Road Ahead
Shaping Transit Service That Moves With Our Community
Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA)
In 2026, CATA is conducting a Comprehensive Operational Analysis, known as CATA’s Road Ahead: Shaping Transit Service That Moves With Our Community. This year-long process will evaluate CATA’s existing transit services, including both fixed-route and demand-response, to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, grow ridership and reduce barriers to mobility.
Communities change over time and transit services must evolve alongside them. With input from riders and community members, CATA’s Road Ahead will guide future transit services to better support how people live, work, learn and travel throughout the region.
CATA provides public transit across metropolitan Lansing, including all of Ingham County and portions of Eaton and Clinton counties. This project will also explore opportunities to better align transportation services with partner agencies to support regional mobility for residents, employees, students and visitors.
Online Survey
We greatly value input from riders, residents and stakeholders. A 5–10 minute survey is available to provide feedback on CATA’s existing services and share ideas for improvements. Your input will help guide recommendations to shape transit service that moves with our community. The deadline to fill out the survey is May 31st at midnight.
Phase I summary and Phase II Overview
Phase I Summary
Phase I of CATA’s Road Ahead project focused on understanding how the current transit system is working. CATA gathered feedback from riders, community members, and stakeholders and reviewed service performance across the region. This phase identified key strengths in the system, as well as challenges related to coverage, frequency, and connections between destinations. The findings helped highlight where improvements and new ideas could better support riders across the tri-county area.
Phase II Overview
Using input from Phase I, in Phase II CATA is exploring potential improvements to fixed-route and demand-response services with a focus on better meeting the needs of residents, employees, students, and visitors. This phase also examines opportunities to improve regional coordination and expand transportation options.
As part of Phase II, CATA hosted two public open houses where community members learned more about updated findings, reviewed transit concepts developed from Phase I feedback, and spoke with staff. Attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions and share input to help shape future service recommendations.
Open house events included:
- Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 11 a.m.—1 p.m. East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Rd, East Lansing
- Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 4 p.m.—6 p.m. Foster Community Center 200 N Foster Ave, Lansing
Additional public meetings/events will take place later in the year to discuss potential service improvements.
For questions, contact CATA Customer Experience at 517-394-1000 or info@cata.org.