Beyond the Bus

“I love playing basketball. I use CATA to get to the YMCA or one of the local parks to play with my cousins pretty often,” says Tirean Johnson, a recent high school graduate from J.W. Sexton High School. "There isn’t really a place that I want to go to that CATA can’t take me.” Despite being out of school, Tirean still values and utilizes his student bus pass quite often. 

As the summer quickly winds down, there are still a lot of exciting events and places to go to in the Capital City region before students head back to school. Want to get out and enjoy some of the awesome things Lansing has to offer? Jump on CATA’s Route 1 which runs from downtown Lansing to the Meridian Mall in Okemos. Here are 5 fun things to do along the route during the final days of summer:  

1. Take flight during the new Mission Impossible movie at Studio C  

2. Test your skee ball skills at Pinball Pete’s in Downtown East Lansing   

Downtown East Lansing has a variety of activities to do including summer events such as the East Lansing Art Festival, hanging out at the arcade at Pinball Pete’s, experiencing the abundance of shops and restaurants in the area or renting a private karaoke room with some friends at Nimbus.  

3. Take a bite out of Spartan rivalries at the MSU Dairy Store  

There are so many things to do just on Michigan State’s campus alone. You can see a show at the Abrams Planetarium or the Wharton Center, get some ice cream at the MSU Dairy Store, organize a pick-up basketball or soccer game, play some tennis with some friends, bike the trails and explore the Beal botanical gardens. The possibilities are endless.  

4. Roll into Summer at Frandor Shopping Center   

Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing offers over 60 stores and restaurants as well as a skate park for area residents. Chances are anything you can think of can be found here. You could even try a new international snack or treat at World Market and other local eateries and shops. 

5. Find a reason to get dressed up Downtown Lansing  

In downtown Lansing alone, students can attend one of the many events the city has to offer including Capital City Comic-Con, Common Ground Music Festival, etc. You can also head to Jackson Field and catch a Lansing Lugnuts game throughout the summer. Students can also visit Impression 5, an interactive science museum off of Michigan Ave.  

And like other high school students, Tirean utilizes CATA's services to take him places he wants to go. Not only does ride CATA gives students the opportunity to explore local destinations, but it promotes promotes responsibility and general real world experience. 

For additional information, visit cata.org/lansingschooldistrict.

Dear Capital Region Resident:

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable achievements we have accomplished so far in 2023. Our commitment to CATA's strategic goals – regional mobility, customer experience excellence, organizational strength, community partnership and a dynamic workplace – remain at the forefront of everything we do. As we work to achieve our mission to meet the mobility needs of the region, I'm enthusiastic about the innovative solutions and partnerships we've employed to ensure a promising future for public transportation. 

In 2019, CATA's executive leadership defined regional mobility as one of five strategic priorities. Improved connectivity between our counties and regional population centers facilitates seamless, single-fare, cross-boundary trips for the convenience of riders across the tri-county region. 

I started my tenure at CATA as Deputy CEO in October 2016. I was appointed CATA's Chief Executive Officer in January 2018, followed by my simultaneous appointment in October 2022 as Executive Director at Eaton County Transportation Authority. It has been a privilege to share a common vision for regional mobility with our transit partners, community leaders, business owners, stakeholders and, of course, our riders. The introduction of the Route 3 extension into Delta Township in early May and a new interlocal agreement with Clinton Area Transit System demonstrate our unwavering commitment to our vision.

Our core values also include a commitment to sustainable solutions as stewards of the community we serve, the planet and its finite resources. To that end – and to achieve its goal for improved organizational strength – CATA pledged to adopt sustainable business practices and operations. We immediately identified a sustainability champion and converted our three facilities to 100 percent renewable energy sources. In April 2022, our Board of Directors took bold action and approved a directive to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2035 – an effort to decarbonize CATA operations and drive the Capital City region and Michigan toward a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable solutions, which earned CATA gold-level status in the American Public Transportation Association's Sustainability Commitment Program. We are humbled by this honor and look forward to continuing to advance sustainability principles throughout our organization.

We are pleased to present CATA's 2023 Community Report in digital format. The stories inside the pages of this report showcase the Authority's pledge to deliver on our promise to provide the highest standard of service to our community. We will continue to listen, learn and adapt that we exceed your expectations for exceptional public transportation services. 

Sincerely,

Bradley T. Funkhouser

Related News:

• CATA launches Route 3 enhancements
• Press Release: Tri-County public transit agencies launch unprecedented partnership to enhance regional mobility 

This content has been published in the 2023 Community Report.

Nearly a half-century ago, CATA launched a bold experiment to bring electric-powered buses to the streets of Lansing. The program was a spectacular failure because electric vehicle (EV) technology just wasn’t ready to support the demands of daily public transportation. CATA has come a long way since those early electric adventures and is now poised to take a giant leap forward by bringing the latest generation of EVs to its passenger fleet. Adopting EV technology will result in significant benefits to the community and planet by reducing CATA’s use of fossil fuels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.

With the help of a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and matching funds from the Michigan Department of Transportation, CATA aims to have its first EV buses in service by next year or early in 2025.

Twelve years from now, there’s little doubt that CATA’s fleet will be fully electric. Charting the path from here to there is a key focus of CATA’s efforts to modernize operations and attain the goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.

This content has been published in the 2023 Community Report.