“CATA has helped me throughout many stages in my life, from school to now using the buses to get to and from work,” said Ashley Yates, 10-year CATA rider. Ashley uses CATA for all of her daily needs such as going to work, doctors’ appointments and visiting friends. Within ten minutes, Ashley can be picked up before and after her shift to ensure she gets to where she needs to be efficiently and on time. For some CATA riders, taking public transportation is their only option for getting to and from work. 

“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. 

Dear Capital Region Resident:

In an effort to improve community safety, CATA has applied to the National Safe Place program and will certify all of its buses and facilities as safe places for youths and individuals who are in potentially dangerous situations. Through partnerships with local organizations, CATA is taking a proactive approach to ensure the well-being and security of vulnerable members of the community.

CATA understands that life is full of unexpected stops and starts. That's why CATA introduced wait-stop trips for Spec-Tran riders in 2023. With this new program, riders are now able to make brief stops during their scheduled trips. Need to drop off or pick up a child from school or day care before heading to work? Want to grab groceries on your way back home? No problem. Wait-stop trips allow riders to seamlessly incorporate these stops while staying on the same Spec-Tran vehicle.

CATA continues to equip its employees with additional safety training to ensure the protection of operators, riders and the public.

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.

Ingham County boasts a wide variety of parks with trails, playgrounds, picnic areas and sports facilities, all available for visitors to enjoy. A partnership between CATA and the Ingham County Parks and Recreation Department makes visiting these parks a little easier.

CATA wants your opinion to help continue building service that meets your needs. During “Listening Bus” sessions, CATA representatives regularly board buses to interact with customers and document their feedback.

Those unable to attend an onboard Listening Bus session, or customers utilizing any of CATA’s paratransit services who would like to provide input about their trips can do so by submitting the online feedback form or by calling a Customer Experience Representative at 517-394-1000.

Have you ever wondered how CATA plans its fixed-route services and chooses the location of bus stops? Generally, it is based on population density: Fixed routes are intended to make catching the bus as easy as possible for the greatest number of travelers.