Three Lansing-area public transit agencies are collaborating to improve regional transportation access.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority, Eaton County Transportation Authority and Clinton Area Transit System will coordinate their bus services.
The goal is to provide seamless transit connections that won’t require riders to change buses as they travel between communities.
CATA Chief Executive Officer Brad Funkhouser will lead the new effort.
He says in the face of an ongoing worker shortage, transit systems should not be competing across county lines.
“We should come together and provide a very strong transportation system in this region that not only helps those that need it but also encourages those to come live here,” Funkhouser said.
“We’ve got huge plants that want to come here that are asking, ‘What about public transit and child care and housing, and what are your plans for that?’ So, it is really us catching up to other regions in the United States."
The partnership will be funded in part by a three-year $737,000 state grant.
Funkhouser says the agencies plan to solicit public input on bus routes and schedules.