ANN ARBOR, MI – Regional transit leaders approved an hourly bus service between Ann Arbor and Detroit on Thursday.

The express bus service, dubbed D2A2, is expected to launch in mid-March and will travel from the Blake Transit Center in Ann Arbor and Grand Circus Park in Detroit, leaving Ann Arbor from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9:45 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. The service was introduced at two January meetings in both cities, with fares as high as $12 for one-way routes.

However, the rates were reduced to $8 one way, $6 for advanced booking, $6 for seniors or anyone with disabilities, and a weekly commuter book of 10 rides for $50, according to the Regional Transit Authority. Lowering the fares were a result of the public’s concerns addressed at the January meeting, said Matt Carpenter, CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide), at the Feb. 21 board meeting.

“It’s kind of a big deal to have hourly highway coach service in both directions between Ann Arbor and Detroit,” Carpenter said. “It’s never existed, to my knowledge, in 20-something years … this is 32 trips a day, including weekends.”

RTA spokesperson Mario Morrow confirmed the board approved D2A2 on Feb. 21, with more information to come. For now, there will be no additional stops along the route, Carpenter said.

“It really connects the metropolitan area in a new way,” Carpenter said. "

TheRide contracted Indian Trails to operate the pilot route for at least three years. Operations will cost about $2 million annually, using state and federal funds, Matt Webb, general manager of the RTA, said at the January meeting. Webb also confirmed the RTA secured funding for three years.

“If people really like the service and more funding shows up, that could easily be extended,” Carpenter said. “I sincerely hope, first of all, that it’s successful and that a lot of people find it useful and ride it.”

Buses will be wheelchair accessible, include seating with arm rests and foot rests, individual light and climate controls, restrooms, WiFi, USB charging ports, cup holders, overhead storage bins and storage for bikes.

Routes leaving Detroit run from 5:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. View the full service schedule here.

Hourly Ann Arbor-Detroit bus service could launch in March

Ann Arbor finally kicks off pedestrian, stormwater tunnels at railroad tracks

Washtenaw, Wayne and Oakland counties look to exclude Macomb in transit vote