The Café Car: Mode Shift in the Mitten

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Featured Posts

A plushie CATA bus from the Transit Day at the Capitol vehicle showcase next to bags of coffee inside the Hob Nob

103rd Legislature, March-October 2025: We (Finally) Have a Budget

Authored Oct 14, 2025

Me standing next to my bike onboard a BATA bus with interior racks

Traverse City, Vol. 2: Beyond the Bay

Authored Sep 1, 2025

Carolyn Ulstad of the Groundwork Center addresses meeting attendees in front of a projector slide reading "Michigan's North+South Passenger Rail: Community Specific Stakeholder Meeting, Spring 2025".

MARP Membership Meeting: The North-South Passenger Rail Project

Authored Jun 7, 2025

My new Trek e-bike on Sunset Boulevard with the RenCen in the background, in the exact same location as this page's cover photo with my e-Sparrow in 2022

The Open Streets: Car-Free Belle Isle

Authored May 19, 2025

A screenshot from the state budget presentation highlighting $112.2M in one-time federal match dollars, $7.8M for exploring new road funding options, and $10M in one-time funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure

103rd Legislature, Jan-Feb 2025: A New Session Begins

Authored Feb 7, 2025

Looking up at the historic vaulted dome in the atrium of Cincinnati Union Terminal with a curved mural and large stained glass window beneath it

Cincinnati: Exploring the Southern Midwest

Authored Feb 2, 2025

My squishy tie-die FAST bus on a table in the auditorium

TRU State of Transit 2025: Media Coverage Roundup

Authored Jan 31, 2025

A line diagram showing the location of the new stop along Michigan between Grand and Trumbull. Text reads, "Look for new FAST signs at the DDOT stops west of 14th Street, outside Roosevelt Park."

Metro Detroit Bus Service Changes, January 2025

Authored Jan 4, 2025

The Michigan State Capitol on a foggy night with the dome illuminated by multiple floodlights. A lamp along the east lawn pathway shines through the fog in the foreground.

102nd Legislature: Lame Duck

Authored Nov 7, 2024

My bike in front of Jason Hargrove Transit Center's south portico at night, next to the shelter for Bay 10

102nd Legislature, Weeks 55 and 56: SOAR Reform Testimony and Major Proposed Amendments

Authored Jun 7, 2024

One of several MiTrain gallery car at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso

102nd Legislature, Week 54: SOAR Reform, House Edition

Authored May 31, 2024

Three Trek e-bikes with helmets outside the Capitol

102nd Legislature, Weeks 52 and 53: The E-Bike Incentive Bill Moves Forward

Authored May 17, 2024

A SMART bus on Route 790 staging at the shelter in the traffic circle at Oakland University

Rochester: Welcome to Oakland Transit!

Authored Apr 12, 2024

A crowd of 20 to 30 people at tables in front of a projector inside the train station

MARP Membership Meeting: Higher Speeds, Chicago Union Station Improvements

Authored Mar 16, 2024

The Appropriations room in the House Office Building with every seat taken

102nd Legislature, Week 45: The House Hears Public Transit Testimony

Authored Mar 13, 2024

Me holding up a Smartie sticker, SMART's old anthropomorphic mascot from the 90s, on a FAST bus.

TRU State of Transit 2024: Full Event Recap

Authored Jan 30, 2024

My suitcase next to a Bayline shelter. The trees along the street are decorated in lights

Traverse City: Across the Mitten on Indian Trails

Authored Nov 25, 2023

A Flint-bound Indian Trails motorcoach at Rapid Central Station in Grand Rapids at night.

Intercity Connections: Navigating a Volatile Bus Network

Authored Aug 21, 2023

A red, white and green tie-dye FAST bus passing the Erebus haunted house along Water Street in Pontiac.

Phoenix Reborn: Reorganizing Downtown Pontiac’s Bus Service

Authored Jun 26, 2022

About the Blog

Hey, hi, hello, Corey here!

Welcome to the new home for my legislative tracking efforts and transit adventures in Michigan. Expect one or two trip reports a year with smaller local updates sprinkled in here and there 🚌