Take Transit to Opening Day 2024! What You Need to Know

Apr 3, 2024 — Guides

On Friday, April 5th at 1:10pm, the Tigers face the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park. Skip the traffic and parking hassle with this guide!

SMART and DDOT fares are $2 for unlimited trips across both systems within a four-hour period. Pay with cash (exact fare required, change cards are issued) or by using the Token Transit app . Note that SMART and DDOT do not accept contactless credit card or NFC / mobile wallet payments at this time.

SMART Riders: Heads Up

Keep this phone number handy: (866) 962-5515, Option 2. This will connect you to SMART Customer Service, which will remain open until 7:30pm on Friday. If your bus isn’t on time or you have any other questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call.

All FAST routes will operate standard weekday schedules on Friday. Service runs hourly through approximately 10pm. View schedules on SMART’s website or in Google Maps, Apple Maps, the Transit App, and other common trip planning applications.

People Mover Connections

Rides are free. The People Mover runs counterclockwise; travel time from Broadway or Grand Circus to Michigan Avenue is about five minutes, and travel time to Financial District is about ten minutes.

FAST Gratiot Riders

Due to road closures related to NFL Draft preparations, FAST Gratiot will not serve the Gratiot / Madison stop closest to Comerica Park and Ford Field. On Opening Day, exit the bus at Jefferson and Griswold and board at Larned and Griswold outside the Financial District People Mover station.

Walking along Gratiot across I-375 from the Russell stop (Eastern Market) is also an option, though exercise caution if following this path on foot.

FAST Woodward and FAST Michigan Riders

If Grand Circus gets jammed when the game ends, Board FAST Woodward and FAST Michigan from stops near the Michigan Avenue People Mover station.

From Detroit neighborhoods: DDOT and the QLINE

Nine DDOT routes run 24/7:

• Route 3 (Grand River)
• Route 4 (Woodward)
• Route 5 (Van Dyke-Lafayette)
• Route 6 (Gratiot)
• Route 7 (Seven Mile)
• Route 8 (Warren)
• Route 10 (Greenfield)
• Route 16 (Dexter)
• Route 17 (Eight Mile)

Additionally, Route 1 (Vernor) , Route 2 (Michigan) , and Route 9 (Jefferson) have limited outbound departures after midnight.

The QLINE , a free streetcar that runs along Woodward Avenue between downtown Detroit and Grand Boulevard in New Center, will operate approximately every 15 minutes during game egress.

💡 Free Official Parking Tip! The New Center Amtrak Station, in partnership with MDOT and TechTown Detroit, operates a free, 24/7 parking lot at the northwest corner of Woodward and Amsterdam Street in New Center. (Be sure to only park in the first two rows in spaces with white “Amtrak / Public Transit Parking” signs! The far half of the lot is dedicated to TechTown passholders and is not for public use.)

Note that this is not the $5 parking lot you’ve seen the QLINE market on social media. That’s on the east side of Woodward. This one is always open and always free.

MoGo

MoGo is Detroit’s 24/7 docked bikeshare system. Stations are available near Comerica Park and throughout downtown. View the system map to find the nearest available bikes.

The closest stations to Comerica Park are Brush / Madison and Grand Circus Park.

A bike rental is $1 unlock + $0.25/min or a flat fee of $10 for one hour. You must return your bike to a MoGo dock at the end of every trip.

The People Mover

The Detroit People Mover is a free downtown elevated rail circulator which runs in a counterclockwise loop every 5-10 minutes. Trains will run throughout the day until midnight. Travel time around the full loop is approximately 13 minutes.

• Exit at Grand Circus Park or Broadway for Comerica Park.
• Exit at Times Square for most local DDOT bus connections other than Route 4 (Woodward).
• Exit at Grand Circus Park for FAST Woodward, FAST Michigan, the QLINE, and D2A2.
• Exit at Financial District for FAST Gratiot.

From Detroit Metro Airport / Wayne County

✈️ NEW! The RTA operates the Detroit Air Xpress , a nonstop motorcoach between both terminals of Detroit Metro Airport and Washington Boulevard in Detroit, adjacent to the Rosa Parks Transit Center and the Michigan Avenue People Mover station.

For local travelers, FAST Michigan (SMART Route 261) runs limited-stop service from both Evans Terminal and McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport to downtown Detroit. Buses depart Evans Terminal from the Ground Transportation Center, accessible by skybridge from Level 2. Buses depart McNamara Terminal from the Departures Level (Level 3) near Door #1, outside the Air France check-in counter. Follow signs for “Municipal Transportation.” Eastbound buses pick up at Evans Terminal first, then McNamara Terminal. Travel time between the airport and downtown is approximately one hour.

In Detroit, exit the bus at Woodward and Clifford (Grand Circus Park), one stop after the Rosa Parks Transit Center. Comerica Park is a five-minute walk from Grand Circus. When leaving the game, board the westbound 261 from the same stop on southbound Woodward. Departure time from Woodward and Clifford is approximately 5 minutes later than scheduled departure time from Jefferson and Beaubien. Westbound buses drop off at McNamara Terminal first, then Evans Terminal.

💡 Free Parking Tip! The Dearborn Transit Center serves as an official SMART Park and Ride lot along Route 261. Travel time between Dearborn and downtown Detroit is approximately 30 minutes.

From Oakland County

FAST Woodward is two SMART routes: 461 and 462. Route 461 runs limited-stop service between downtown Detroit and the Troy Civic Center Park and Ride via Somerset Collection. Route 462 runs limited-stop service between downtown Detroit and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets via Pontiac. South of Birmingham (Woodward / Maple), the two routes run in parallel at evenly staggered intervals. If you are traveling from a stop north of Birmingham, be sure to board the correct bus on your return trip. If you are traveling from Birmingham or stops farther south, the route number does not concern you; board whichever FAST bus comes first.

Travel time between Troy and Detroit is approximately 50 minutes. Travel time between Great Lakes Crossing and Detroit is approximately 90 minutes.

In Detroit, exit the bus at Woodward and Clifford (Grand Circus Park), one stop after Little Caesars Arena. Comerica Park is a five-minute walk from Grand Circus. When leaving the game, board your northbound FAST Woodward bus on the north side of Woodward, between Adams and the northbound QLINE station.

Northbound departure time from Grand Circus Park is approximately 10 minutes later than posted departures from Jefferson and Beaubien, though expect delays due to traffic backups postgame. Be ready to flag your bus driver by waving or shining your phone’s flashlight in the air, as passengers can be difficult to see at this stop.

💡 Official Free Parking Tip! The Troy Civic Center Park and Ride serves as an official SMART Park and Ride at the northern terminus of Route 461. Great Lakes Crossing, likewise, serves as the official Park and Ride near the northern terminus of Route 462.

⚠️ Unofficial Parking Tips: It is also possible to park for free at Somerset Collection South (461) and Auburn Mile Meijer (462). Woodward Corners near the Panera and Meijer at Woodward and 13 Mile is another reliable option for both routes. While myself and other SMART riders regularly use these lots for easy access to restrooms and dining, they are not official Park and Ride lots. Somerset in particular has been known to issue parking citations. Park at your own risk!

From Macomb County

FAST Gratiot (SMART Route 563) runs limited-stop service from Chesterfield (23 Mile) to downtown Detroit. Travel time is approximately one hour.

See the detour description at the top of the article for specific stop locations on April 5th.

⚠️ Unofficial Parking Tips: There are no official SMART Park and Ride lots along FAST Gratiot, though riders often choose to park at Chesterfield Meijer on 23 Mile and the Eastpointe Public Library on 9 Mile. Park at your own risk!

From Ann Arbor

Detroit to Ann Arbor (D2A2) bus tickets are $6 each way when reserved in advance and $8 when purchased from the driver when boarding. Credit cards are accepted onboard.

Buses depart from the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor and from the west side of Grand Circus Park, on Park Avenue just south of Adams, in downtown Detroit. On gameday, the 11:00am eastbound departure from Ann Arbor will get you to Grand Circus in time for the first pitch.

The last return trip to Ann Arbor departs Grand Circus at 11:00pm.

From Lansing

Michigan Flyer tickets are $15 each way when reserved in advance and $3-5 extra when purchased from the bus driver upon boarding. Credit cards are accepted onboard.

Buses depart from the East Lansing Marriott. To connect with D2A2 and still make the first pitch, board the 9:15am departure (or earlier). You’ll have a 20-minute layover in Ann Arbor.

Note that the final westbound departure of the Michigan Flyer from Ann Arbor is 10:35pm, meaning you must board the 9:00pm westbound D2A2 or earlier to make a connection.

From South Detroit 🇨🇦

Transit Windsor is not running special event service for Opening Day on Friday. The standard weekday timetable from the Mariners’ Church platform at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel applies. Fare is $10 USD or CAN, accepted at par, each way.

Transit Windsor is offering special event Tunnel Bus service for Saturday’s game (April 6th). Advance reservations are required. Buses depart from the Windsor Transit Terminal at 11:40am and return no later than 30 minutes after the game ends. A round trip is $20. Valid identification required for travel across the border.

For more information, pickup location, and to reserve a seat, visit the Tunnel Bus Special Event Service website .

Have fun, be safe, go Tigers! ⚾