The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) will implement changes to several routes and services beginning Monday, Aug. 24. Spartan Service will also resume on all Michigan State University campus routes and Route 26.

CATA presented the proposed changes during four public meetings and accepted comments by email, mail and phone. More than 40 comments were received through the public engagement process and considered as CATA finalized the Aug. 24 service changes.

“We recognize that service changes affect how people get to work, school, appointments and other important destinations,” said CATA Chief Executive Officer Bradley T. Funkhouser. “Like transit agencies across the country, CATA is navigating rising costs and a challenging funding environment. We carefully considered public feedback, adjusting where possible as we finalized these changes. Although current funding constraints require difficult decisions, we remain committed to using our available resources responsibly while providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation throughout the region.”

The following changes take effect Aug. 24: 

Route 1 – Downtown Lansing – Meridian Mall:  

• Monday–Friday: Service frequency in the morning through early evening will change from every 9–15 minutes to every 15 minutes.
• Saturday: Service frequency from noon through the early evening will change to every 15 minutes.
• Late-night service Thursday through Saturday will be eliminated.
  • Final departures Monday through Saturday from the CATA Transportation Center (CTC) will be at 10:20 p.m. and from Meridian Mall at 11 p.m.

Uber recently awarded CATA a $50,000 Transit Innovation grant to explore a voucher-based pilot program that would subsidize qualifying late-night rides within a 1-mile radius of the Route 1 corridor. CATA is evaluating the program’s details, agreements and accessibility options to determine how effectively it could meet the transportation needs of late-night riders along the corridor. Additional information will be announced as plans are finalized.

Route 9 – South Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd – Miller:

• The outbound loop through downtown Lansing along Grand Avenue and Capitol Avenue will be removed, with buses traveling directly onto Kalamazoo Street from the CTC. 
• Buses will no longer serve the Lansing Community College (LCC) campus. LCC will continue to be accessible through other downtown routes and CATA services.
• Monday–Friday: After leaving the CTC toward S. Pennsylvania Meijer, buses will depart stops 3–5 minutes earlier and arrive at Meijer 5 minutes earlier. On trips from S. Pennsylvania Meijer to the CTC, buses will depart 8–10 minutes earlier and arrive downtown approximately 5 minutes earlier.
• Saturday & Sunday: After leaving the CTC toward S. Pennsylvania Meijer, buses will depart stops 2–3 minutes earlier and arrive at Meijer 5 minutes earlier. On trips from S. Pennsylvania Meijer to the CTC, buses will depart 10–12 minutes earlier and arrive downtown approximately 5 minutes earlier.
• Monday-Sunday: Service frequency will continue to be every 30 minutes.

Route 18 – Capital City Crosstown:

• Buses will serve Spartan Village on all inbound and outbound trips.
• Route 20 will no longer travel into Spartan Village.

Route 20 – South Harrison – Jolly-Dunckel:  

• Monday-Friday: Service frequency will change from every 30 minutes to every 40 minutes. Departure times will be different with fewer trips throughout the week.
• Saturday & Sunday: Service frequency will change from every 45 minutes to every 40 minutes. Departure times will be different with two added trips throughout the weekend.
• Buses will no longer enter Spartan Village as Route 18 will serve the complex. 

Route 46 – Mason, Limited: Service will be discontinued (see Mason Connector change). 

Mason Connector:  

• The Mason Connector will now be identified as 46 – Mason Connector.
• Service will be expanded to incorporate weekday trips previously served by Route 46 Mason, Limited. A 6:45 a.m. trip will depart Mason for downtown Lansing and a 5 p.m. trip will depart downtown Lansing for Mason. All Limited stops will be served on these two trips.
• Service will now operate Monday through Friday, from 6:45 a.m. to 6:50 p.m.
• Saturday service will be removed. Riders can continue to access Saturday service through CATA Rural Service (CRS) (see CRS change). 

Route 48 – Williamston – Webberville, Limited: Service will be discontinued (see Williamston/Webberville Connector change). 

Williamston/Webberville Connector:  

• The Williamston/Webberville Connector will now be identified as 48–Williamston/Webberville Connector.
• Service will be expanded to incorporate weekday trips previously served by Route 48 Williamston – Webberville, Limited. A 6:55 a.m. trip will depart Webberville for downtown Lansing and a 5 p.m. trip will depart downtown Lansing for Webberville. All Limited stops will be served on these two trips.
• Service will now operate Monday through Friday, from 6:55 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.
• Saturday service will be removed. Riders can continue to access Saturday service through CATA Rural Service (see CRS change). 

Mason Redi-Ride: Service will be discontinued (see CRS change).

CATA Rural Service (CRS):  

• The City of Mason will be added to the service area, incorporating the former Mason Redi-Ride service area into the CRS zone.
• Saturday service from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be added.
• Same-day trips will be available to schedule up to four hours in advance. Earlier trip reservations may be accommodated based on service availability.
•  The distance-based fare for trips over 10 miles will be removed, pending CATA Board approval. If approved, all trips within the CATA Rural Service area will have a fare of $ 2.25 regular and $1.00 discounted.

CATA Rydz:

• CATA Rydz Connect service to and from the Capital Region International Airport (LAN) will expand to allow riders to travel between the airport and destinations within the Lansing and Delta Township On-Demand zones. Service will operate daily from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. All airport trips must be prebooked at least two hours before the desired pickup or arrival time and may be scheduled up to three days in advance. Previously, airport service was limited to trips between the Airport Zone and nine designated locations within the MSU Campus Zone. 

Spartan Service on MSU’s campus will resume Monday, Aug. 24, at 7 a.m. on Routes 30, 31, 32, 33 and 39. Lot Link service will begin at 7 p.m., followed by Night Owl service at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Customers can find more information about route and service changes on CATA's website. For real-time bus tracking and arrival information, download Transit app.

Contact Customer Experience with questions at info@cata.org or call 517-394-1000 (Weekdays: 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Weekends: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.).

NOTE: These service changes may be aligned with the themes, data findings and community priorities being identified through CATA’s Road Ahead, a year-long comprehensive operational analysis. However, these changes are separate from the final recommendations that will be developed throughout the study. To learn more about that project, visit the Road Ahead webpage.