GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids transit agency The Rapid secured $6 million in state money to field as many as six more coaches when downtown venues pack the calendar.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer rolled out the award on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from the Infrastructure Projects Authority Fund. That program is steering cash to major transit builds; the October package totaled close to $65 million across Michigan.
Jeffrey King, The Rapids governmental and external affairs lead, said the new equipment should boost passenger capacity and frequency, shrink waits, and better stitch park-and-ride lots to core downtown stops.
Agency planners expect a separate operating award near $3 million around 2027 or 2028 to help pay drivers and keep the extra trips running on peak nights. Which lines get the boost is still open, though Silver Line service and Routes 2, 4, 9 and 11 already swell when big shows land.
Last summers first full Acrisure Amphitheater season shaped the ask. Even without a wave of rider complaints, Rapid data showed event nights backing traffic up around Central Station. More buses and tighter headways are meant to ease that pinch for fans and for hospitality, retail and service workers who ride to downtown shifts.
State briefing notes also flag the arena at Van Andel, both DeVos halls and the coming Amway soccer stadium as destinations the Event Night Mobility Project is built around. The Rapid says it will watch ridership, on-time performance and congestion as the service expands.
