Why should we care about public transportation?

Public transportation connects people to their community. It gets Luisa Shumacher to work, business meetings, community events, and the store. And with ongoing improvements, many routes operate more frequently and later at night.

To save money, Mike and Amanda Ewer decided to take the bus rather than cut back on entertainment or food. What they got back was a solution that helps them get around town and leaves room to enjoy their lives — and their community.

When his car died, Sean decided to see how long he could go riding The Rapid. That was four years ago. He’s still riding because it’s affordable, effective and doing something good for the environment too. He takes the bus to work, to the mall, and out to the movie theater.

Lisa Walkendorf has used The Rapid for years so taking her daughter downtown was a natural next step. It’s easy, affordable and eliminates the hassles of finding parking. They use The Rapid to take classes, go ice skating, and even attend Zumba classes. It makes it easy to take Laura’s friends too.

Retirement is not a reason for Bill DeVries to slow down. He relies on a combination of his bike and The Rapid to participate in local events, volunteer, explore his surroundings – even visit his granddaughters. Bill loves to ride because it’s affordable, green and allows him to live an active life.

Stan Greene has made intentional adjustments in his life to ‘live more gently’ on our planet. With that in mind, he starts and ends his day riding The Rapid as a reliable resource for getting around town. But he also gets the benefit of connecting to the people and the places that are a part of the community.

For 10 years, Emily Martin has relied on The Rapid as a transportation option for work, school and entertainment.

Co-Chairman and CEO of a retail chain that serves hundreds of thousands of customers each day, Hank Meijer understands how important it is to be accessible. Look at many of the chain’s Grand Rapids area stores and you’ll see that they’re o...

Ellen James remembers taking the bus to Davenport College as a student. Now in her third term as a board trustee for Grand Rapids Community College, she realizes how vitally important public transit is, not only for students, but to...

A Grand Rapids Urban League board member and deeply involved in community initiatives for many years, Joe Jones has seen the impact of both good and bad economies on the area’s residents. In either scenario, access to public transpo...