Real time Magic Bus maps show free University of Michigan transit routes
University of Michigan Parking and Transportation Services
The University of Michigan has announced an expansion of its Central Campus transit center, which will change the streetscape near the C. C. Little Building and the Exhibit Museum. The current bus shelters are bunker-like brick structures which provide little in the way of shelter for the frequent travelers to and from North Campus; this is in marked contrast to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's downtown Blake Transit Center, which lets people making transfers wait inside.
What Michigan does have that distinguishes it from the AATA is its innovative Magic Bus system, which shows the location of each bus and predicts the arrival times for vehicles which are on their way. If you are waiting for the bus at the Pierpont Commons on North Campus, helpful screens show you just how long you can plan to wait inside in comfort before you dash to the bus for your short, free ride to town.
Edward Vielmetti rode the North Campus buses in 1982 and 1983 to get back and forth to Bursley Hall. You can reach him at emv@umich.edu , the University of Michigan address he keeps to give out to people who can't spell "Vielmetti."
Comments
theodynus
Sat, Feb 20, 2010 : 6:44 p.m.
I use this service a couple times a month to cross campus and it always feels like something I didn't expect to see until I was 70 years old. It's super accurate. I can reliably walk out the door of my office, get to the bus stop 60 seconds before the bus arrives, step on the bus and make it to a noon meeting at 11:55. It makes public transportation just as easy as driving and totally eliminates the "waiting in the cold for 10 minutes and hoping to get to my meeting on time" thing. I LOVE it.