DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Detroit Transportation Corporation said it will decide in July how much longer it will offer rides at no cost to passengers on the People Mover.

Detroit People Mover has been offering free rides since 2024 and it will continue through 2025, according to DTC staff. This year, the fares were waived courtesy of  sponsorship from Priority Waste, a private waste management company.

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Detroit People Mover collected $1.04 million in fare revenues in 2019 before the pandemic hit.

It would cost the city $5 million to modernize its fare collection system, which staff said would take at least five years to make up through fares, according to a city memo.

“The logistics and cost of resuming fares is much more challenging than keeping fares free,” the memo stated.

In a survey of riders, 15% of passengers said the only reason they rode People Mover was because it came at no cost to them while 63% said they were “more likely” to ride if they were not charged.

Ridership reached 1.6 million before the pandemic hit and then dropped off significantly. It reached 655,283 in 2023 and then, after fares were waived, ridership rebounded to 1.07 million.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has given the Detroit Transportation Corporation $800,000 to conduct a study of future possible projects. The study is scheduled to begin this month.