Talking Michigan Transportation What’s next for regional transit in southeast Michigan?
Mar 19, 2026
Ben Stupka, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan and urban/regional planner, discusses regional transit funding, coordination, and services. He highlights express bus wins like D2A2 and airport links. Technology and mobility programs such as a regional transit app and MyRide2 concierge are covered. The conversation focuses on incremental steps toward bigger transit projects.
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Regional Authority Finally Stitched Four Counties Together
- The RTA's legislative creation in 2012 finally stitched four counties into a coordinated regional body for transit planning and funding oversight.
- Ben Stupka credits county-level partnership (Wayne, Washtenaw, Macomb, Oakland and Detroit) as the glue that made a different, durable RTA possible.
Jobs Connect Transit To Economic Competitiveness
- Transit's strongest case across conversations is jobs and connectivity, benefiting workers, small businesses and regional economic competitiveness.
- Stupka noted loss of opportunities like HQ attraction (Amazon) due to lacking comprehensive regional transit.
Packed FAST Bus Showed Clear Job Ridership
- A FAST limited-stop bus on Woodward filled with workers in uniform on a weekend afternoon, showing transit serves real job commutes.
- Stupka rode it to a Tigers game and observed every passenger except him wearing job uniforms, proving demand for quality job connections.