DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – The light-rail transit People Mover in Detroit hasn’t been able to get back to pre-pandemic ridership levels this year despite offering rides at no cost in 2024.
People Mover is a fully automated, light rail system that runs on an elevated, single-track loop in Detroit’s downtown business district. It is funded by local, state and federal tax dollars.
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Ridership through September 2024 hit 977,330, still 20% lower than the first nine months of 2019 when People Mover had 1.2 million riders, according to the Federal Transit Administration.
Still, the 2024 ridership is considerably more than all of 2023 when People Mover had 655,283 riders.
People Mover is operating the zero-fare program as a pilot for all of 2024. The waste and recycling company Priority Waste is picking up the costs. People Mover generated $1 million in fares in 2019, the last year before the pandemic interrupted operations.
People Mover’s operating expenses were $15.4 million in 2023.
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