While some of us may be familiar with the routine routes like the Commuter South from CC Little to the stadium, or perhaps the Bursley-Baits route into North Campus. Few students on campus are acquainted with both the special UM bus routes, as well as the AATA routes. Living off-campus, be it on central or north, chances are you have begun to do some form of grocery shopping, or desire for new places to explore with no way to get there.
What many students do not know is that UM recently started a free bus service in October of last year, connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor. Dubbed the “Detroit Center Connector”, this Blue Bus runs Thursday-Saturday, and offers transportation for those who may be interested in exploring the Motor City, or perhaps going out for lunch with friends. To see the full schedule, visit the MDCC Schedule.
To fulfill your grocery shopping needs, Trader Joe’s and Meijer are both in close proximity to CC Little. Route 4 on the AATA will take you to the first location in ~10 minutes, while BTC Mall Route 16 will take you to the second in ~30 minutes. Kroger on Plymouth road is only 21 minutes from CC Little and drops you off on Kroger’s doorstep. All three are relatively quick and efficient, and can save you a great deal of money at the end of the month.
Another neighboring city to Ann Arbor is Ypsilanti. The AATA bus system places its many attractions at your fingertips, and is only about an hour ride away. Ypsi offers Antique Truck Shows and Halloween-themed events in October. Ypsilanti also hosts book festivals, shopping sprees, and concerts in November, and the DI Ypsi Indie Art Fair, Holiday Home Tour, and Mittenfest Music Festival in December. Visit http://visitypsinow.com/events/ for more information, and go explore our surrounding areas! Remember, you can ride any of the AATA buses for free by swiping your MCard, while the blue buses are free for anyone to use!
Contributed by Jose Alvarez