The Rapid buses at Rapid Central Station
Founded	1963 2000 (as The Rapid)
Headquarters	300 Ellsworth Avenue SW
Locale	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Service type	Bus service Bus rapid transit (BRT) Paratransit
Routes	23
Hubs	Rapid Central Station Woodland Mall
Fleet	166
Daily ridership	23,800 (weekdays, Q4 2023) [1]
Annual ridership	6,239,500 (2023) [2]
Fuel type	Diesel CNG
Chief executive	Andrew Johnson
Website	ridetherapid.org

The Interurban Transit Partnership, branded as The Rapid, is the public transit operator serving Grand Rapids, Michigan and its suburbs. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,239,500, or about 23,800 per weekday.

History

GRTA

Formed by the City of Grand Rapids in 1963 as the Grand Rapids Transit Authority, the system became a regional authority in July 1978 and was renamed the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA).

As The Rapid

In January 2000, GRATA reorganized as the Interurban Transit Partnership, an organization formed by the City of Grand Rapids and five suburban communities; the agency soon adopted "The Rapid" as its branding. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

The Rapid Central Station, the system's main transit center in downtown Grand Rapids, opened in June 2004. The station, whose main platform incorporates a Teflon fabric roof, was the first LEED-certified transit facility in the United States. ^{[6] [7] [8]} That year, the system received the "Outstanding Public Transportation System" award from the American Public Transportation Association. ^[9] It would go on to win the award again in 2013. ^[10]

The Rapid ended the sale of paper tickets and passes online, at Rapid Central Station, and on buses in November 2019. ^[11]

In August 2022, Byron Township ended its service agreement with The Rapid. ^[12] Following the contract's termination, all stops in Byron Township were discontinued, with route 10 running nonstop through Byron Township to its destination in Gaines Township. ^{[12] [13]} The following October, Transdev began to operate The Rapid's paratransit services under contract. ^[14]

BRT projects

In May 2009, voters in The Rapid's member communities rejected a millage increase, which included early plans for a bus rapid transit line on Division Avenue, to be called the Silver Line. ^{[15] [16]} A similar increase was approved, by a narrow margin of 136 votes, in May 2011. ^{[17] [18]} The BRT project, Michigan's first, had a $40 million budget, of which $32 million was covered by federal grants; the rest was to be funded by MDOT. ^[19] Work commenced in April 2013, and was completed in mid-2014, $3 million under budget. ^{[20] [21]} The completed Silver Line opened for service on August 25, 2014. ^[22]

While the Silver Line was under construction, The Rapid commissioned a study in 2013 to explore the feasibility of a second BRT line, connecting the downtown Grand Rapids campus of Grand Valley State University with its main campus in Allendale. ^{[23] [24]} This BRT line was a long-term goal of The Rapid management; the study was prompted, however, by overcrowding on route 50, an existing route serving GVSU. ^[25] Route 50 later changed its routing in August 2015 to follow the path of the proposed BRT corridor. $57 million in federal grant funding was approved for the line in 2016, with MDOT covering the remaining $14 million. ^[26] Construction began in 2019, and the Laker Line began passenger service on August 24, 2020. ^{[27] [28]}

Service area

The Rapid's main service area consists of its six member cities, whose property taxes fund the system: Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. Select routes also service Alpine Township, Cascade Township, Gaines Township, Grand Valley State University, and Ferris State University, which fund said services under contract with The Rapid. ^[12]

Services

Bus rapid transit

The Rapid operates Michigan's only two bus rapid transit (BRT) lines: the Silver Line and Laker Line.

Silver Line

The Silver Line is a 9.1-mile (14.6 km) BRT line along Division Avenue, connecting downtown Grand Rapids with Wyoming and Kentwood. The line, which runs every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends, is operated with a fleet of ten diesel-electric hybrid Gillig BRT buses. ^[29] It previously had ticket machines and farecard readers on station platforms, before off-board fare collection was discontinued on the line in 2022. ^[30]

Laker Line

The Laker Line is a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) BRT line connecting downtown Grand Rapids with the main campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale. The line, which primarily runs along Lake Michigan Drive, has 12 stops in Grand Rapids and Walker and two at GVSU; no stops are made between GVSU's campus and the Kent- Ottawa county line. The route serves GVSU's Pew campus in downtown Grand Rapids, the Medical Mile, and the John Ball Zoological Garden. Inbound buses stop at Pew Campus before proceeding into downtown, then double back to terminate at Pew.

With 10-minute headways on weekdays during the fall and spring semesters (during the summer, it runs every 15 minutes), the Laker Line is the most frequent route in The Rapid's network; it is also the only route operated using articulated buses, with a fleet of sixteen CNG-powered New Flyer XN60 units. ^[29] Ticket machines and farecard readers are located on each station's platform.

Conventional buses

The Rapid operates 23 fixed bus routes, and special services for Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Ferris State University (see below).

Routes 1 through 15, along with the Silver Line BRT, begin at Rapid Central Station.

Most buses operate seven days a week. Routes 3, 5, 12, 13, 14, and 24 do not operate on Sundays. Routes 27 and 33 only run on weekdays, Weekday service is from around 4.30-6am until after 11pm or midnight. Saturday service is between around 6 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sundays are between around 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

To aid scheduling, some routes "interline". This means that a specific vehicle will serve multiple routes as part of its scheduled run by that driver. For example, on weekdays, route 7 arrives at Central Station and continues as the 15.

During the school year, additional routes are used to serve students in the Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) district.

Contracted services

DASH

Under contract with the City of Grand Rapids, The Rapid operates the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) circulator shuttle in downtown Grand Rapids. The routes are free to all passengers, operating every fifteen minutes, Monday through Saturday. ^[32]

DASH routes were revamped in 2016 and again in 2018. From September 1 the North DASH straightened its route along Monroe, rather than along Ottawa Avenue. The South route was effectively merged into the West DASH, covering the west side DASH lots, Pearl Street, via Division and Fulton to Ionia covering the Arena South lots, and then south to the Downtown Market and Wealthy Street Silver Line station. Service to the Cook-DeVos Center previously provided by the Hill DASH has long since been replaced by the rerouting route 50 along the planned Laker Line route. Service frequency was also reduced from 8 minutes to 15 minutes, and service on Sunday was eliminated.

DASH was reconfigured again in May 2023. The two previous 'north' and 'west' routes were replaced with a single loop encircling downtown, routed to serve the previous routes' destinations, plus Central Station and the Grand Rapids Public Library. Service is now run in both directions, with route 51 following the loop clockwise, and 52 running counterclockwise. Monday and Tuesday service was eliminated, though Sunday service was brought back. ^[33] A temporary route, DASH WORK, was introduced to service commuter lots, running during weekday peak hours only. ^[34]

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids Community College provides route number 60, a shuttle bus connecting the school's main campus with the nearby DeVos campus. Stops are located in front of Sneden Hall at the DeVos campus, and at Fountain and Bostwick at the main campus. The bus is free for GRCC students and employees, and runs Monday through Thursday during the Fall and Winter semesters.

Ferris State University

Ferris State University contracts with The Rapid to provide shuttle bus service from Grand Rapids to the University's main campus in Big Rapids. Originating at Central Station, the route includes stops near Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, and the Cedar Springs Meijer. Standard Rapid tickets are not valid on this route; special fares apply.

Fleet

The Rapid's fixed fleet is comprised mostly of 40-foot Gillig Low Floor buses, used on local routes, while Gillig BRTs are used on the Silver Line, and articulated New Flyer Xcelsior units are used on the Laker Line. ^[35] Most of the standard Gilligs are painted in the same livery, with diesel-powered units distinguishable by a red stripe at the top, and CNG units featuring a green tank on the roof.

Fares

The Rapid's standard fare is $1.75. Passengers can pay their fare in cash or by using the system's reloadable Wave smart card. When paid with the Wave card, the fare includes unlimited rides for 105 minutes. ^[36] The Wave card also includes a daily fare cap; a rider using the card will not be charged more than $3.50 in fares per day, regardless of how many rides are taken.

Children under 42 inches (1,100 mm) in height do not pay a fare. A yellow stripe on the hand rail by the entrance denotes the height limit.

Additional services

Other services provided by the ITP include:

• Car and Vanpooling Assistance: for carpools, the service matches people who make arrangements based on similar work schedules and travel patterns. For vanpools, employees can use The Rapid minivans to get to work.
• County Connection: provides transportation in all of Kent County, Michigan.
• GO!Bus: provides transportation for those with disabilities.
• PASS: curb-to-curb service. Provides transportation into specific neighborhoods where there is low concentration of bus routes.

Future services

The Rapid has announced a new vision for new services to be in place by the year 2030. Proposed Services include a downtown streetcar system, Bus Rapid Transit along Lake Michigan Drive, expanded routes to Byron Center and eastern Ottawa County's Georgetown Township and the city of Hudsonville. A regional express bus service is also under consideration that would provide shuttle service from outlying areas into downtown Grand Rapids. ^[37]

References