Ride with
R.I.D.E.R.

Advocate for a better transit rider experience at the University of Michigan with project R.I.D.E.R. (Radical Improvement During Every Ride)

Contact Current Initiatives

We are
Project RIDER

Project RIDER is an independant student project team within the Urbanism Club at University of Michigan. Formed with the intention to improve rider experience while riding public transportation at UofM, Project RIDER has multiple initiatives set forth to see to this goal. Learn more about our ideas and proposed action plan below.

Project Goals & Primary Initiatives

Project RIDER is working to achieve a better transportation experience for all on the University of Michigan campus. With over seven million boardings in 2023, and extremely ambitious future mobility plans for the University, there is much that can be done to improve transportation access, equity, safety, and efficiency for all users of the system. Help us achieve our goals, and show the world the Michigan difference throughout the current and future University transportation network.

Community Engagement & Feedback

While thousands ride with the University of Michigan transportation system every day, many stakeholders either directly or indirectly affected by the University's decisions around transportation do not have their voices or concerns heard during periods of new construction or improvement. Project RIDER plans to engage these populations of students, faculty, Ann Arbor residents, city officials, and other key stakeholders to bring their opinions forward in order to influence future transportation decisions on campus.

View Details

Improved CCTC Design & Experience

The Central Campus Transit Center is one of the most used transit hubs in all of Washtenaw County, with over 10 bus lines servicing the stop, and future plans to house the one terminus of the proposed campus ATS (monorail). Despite this, the station is lacking critical amenities and safety features, leading to poor user experience. Project RIDER is studying potential rider experience improvements to pitch to the University during the implementation of their 2050 vision plan at the CCTC and other stations.

View Details

Mobility Data & Research

As the university's enrollment numbers continue to grow year after year, more UofM students and staff will need to be transported to campus every day. In order to effectively improve transportation and mobility systems, key metrics and data points need to not only be accurately collected, but effectively filtered, stored and shared between agencies. Project RIDER is eager to assist transportation operators in this effort, and to learn what data points would be most useful in improving transportation on campus.

View Details

Current Progress

Project RIDER was only created recently in January 2024. See what we have accomplished since then, and view our full action plan to see what we're eager to finish in the coming years. This year (2024/25), we are focusing on stakeholder engagement, creating a strong network of connections with various University entities, and designing solutions to pitch for improvement.

View Current Initiatives Contact