Getting Around Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a compact, walkable city built around the University of Michigan, and most visitors find they can cover the downtown core and campus on foot. For longer hops, the city and its surroundings are served by a local bus network, a university bus system, intercity rail and coach services, taxis, and ride-hailing. This guide covers each option and how to reach the city from its main airport.
Orientation and Walkability
Downtown Ann Arbor is not large, so it's easy to get around simply by walking. That's often the most practical choice anyway: free parking is almost nonexistent, especially when the town is full of students, so you'll probably prefer to walk regardless.
The city has also made a point of opening parts of downtown to pedestrians. Beginning in 2020, the city government cordoned off several downtown streets to motor vehicles during summertime weekends, creating a large pedestrian mall and giving restaurants room to use sidewalks and part of the street for outdoor seating. The changes proved popular, and the city council later extended the dates, continuing the practice of closing streets to cars from Thursday evening until Monday morning.
If you do drive, expect to pay for parking. There are parking lots and buildings scattered around downtown; they're free on Sundays, but otherwise you can generally expect to pay by the hour. On-street meters are rare, and where you find one you'll need to feed it on weekdays and Saturdays during business hours, after which they're free. A useful alternative is to leave the car on the outskirts: the local transit authority operates park-and-ride lots around the city with free parking and bus service to each.
Rail: Amtrak and the Ann Arbor Station
Ann Arbor is served by Amtrak's Wolverine Service, which runs daily between Pontiac and Chicago with stops along the way including Troy, Royal Oak, Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Niles, and New Buffalo. There are several departures in each direction daily. Detroit is a short trip away by train, and Chicago is a longer ride; the train from Chicago often arrives somewhat behind schedule, so build in some slack if you're connecting onward.
The Ann Arbor station sits on Depot Street, within walking distance of downtown just beyond the Kerrytown district. You can also take local bus route 1 into downtown, and there are usually taxis waiting outside the station. Ticketing is available during the day, and the station itself is open from early morning until midnight.
Amtrak also runs thruway bus connections from Ann Arbor to the Toledo station, where you can connect to longer-distance trains heading further east.
Buses and Local Public Transport
Local bus service in and around Ann Arbor and downtown Ypsilanti is provided by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, known as TheRide (also referred to as AATA). It's a not-for-profit organization serving the greater Ann Arbor–Ypsilanti area. Adult fares on regular routes are inexpensive, and the downtown circulator route known as the Link is free to ride. University of Michigan faculty, staff, and students ride free on regular routes.
Route information and schedules are available online, at the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor, at the Ypsilanti Transit Center, or at City Hall, and TheRide offers online trip-planning tools to help you map a route.
The University of Michigan also operates its own bus system, MagicBus, for students, employees, and visitors. These buses are most commonly used to travel between the university's North, Central, and South campuses, and they run on weekday and weekend schedules year-round, with a few holiday exceptions. They are free to ride.
If you're in town for work, note the getDowntown go!pass program: employers within the downtown development district can buy passes for their employees that give unlimited use of all TheRide fixed-route buses, along with discounts on other commuter services and at downtown stores.
Intercity Buses
Ann Arbor is well connected by intercity coach. Greyhound serves the city from the Amtrak station on Depot Street, with service to Detroit and Chicago among other destinations; tickets booked in advance are considerably cheaper. Michigan Flyer runs scheduled coach service between Detroit Metro Airport and East Lansing via Ann Arbor, and is the main public transit link between Michigan's two large state universities; it connects with TheRide's route 36 at the Sheraton. D2A2 provides express bus service between Ann Arbor and Detroit, and Indian Trails runs from the Blake Transit Center north via Jackson, Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Gaylord, Petoskey, and Mackinaw City to St. Ignace. Megabus and People's Express also serve the area.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Ann Arbor has several reliable 24-hour taxicab companies, but you can't hail a cab from the sidewalk. There are certain spots in town where taxis often wait for passengers, notably in front of the Michigan Union on State Street and the Federal Building on Liberty Street. Uber and Lyft both have a large presence in Ann Arbor and are often far cheaper than a traditional taxi, especially off-peak.
Getting In from the Airport
The nearest major airport is Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), roughly a 25-minute drive away. Ann Arbor also has its own small 24-hour airport, Ann Arbor Municipal (ARB), at the intersection of State Street and Ellsworth Road, which handles business, corporate, public, and private flights, air ambulance service, flight instruction, and charter services.
From Detroit Metro, the best way into downtown Ann Arbor is the Michigan Flyer coach. It's a scheduled service rather than a taxi, so it's significantly cheaper than the alternatives, and it drops you off at the Blake Transit Center in downtown Ann Arbor. AirRide, operated by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, is another fixed-route bus option serving the Blake Transit Center; it requires advance reservations, has limited service, but is much cheaper than other options.
Several private shuttle services offer pre-booked trips that will take you to any location in Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas, with the cost per person decreasing as the size of the group increases. Options to start with include A2 Area MetroRide, which also offers airport pickup and advises reservations; Ann Arbor Airport Shuttle, which has 24-hour phone service and asks that reservations be made at least a day in advance to get your preferred pickup time; and Metro Quick Pick Car Service. Uber will also pick up and drop off between Ann Arbor and Detroit airport and can be much cheaper than a cab.
Practical Tips
- Plan on walking for anything in the downtown core; it's small and parking is scarce and rarely free.
- Use the park-and-ride lots on the city's outskirts if you're driving in and don't want to hunt for downtown parking.
- Check TheRide schedules online or at the Blake Transit Center, and use the online trip planner to connect buses.
- Ride-hailing is usually the cheapest on-demand option; taxis can't be hailed from the street, so use a stand or call ahead.
- For airport transfers, book the Michigan Flyer or AirRide in advance, or reserve a shuttle if you want door-to-door service.