The authority mainly operates fixed-route bus service within its service area. It also operates the ARide paratransit system, University of Michigan-sponsored ExpressRide commuter buses to Canton and Chelsea, and ArtFairRide and FootballRide event shuttles. It oversees the iShareARide and VanRide carpooling services. TheRide operates transit centers in downtown Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, as well as a number of park and ride facilities in the Ann Arbor area. The AAATA is also the designated authority for the planned Ann Arbor-Howell commuter rail line. The AAATA was the first transit authority in the United States to operate low-floor buses when, in early 1993, they took delivery of ten New Flyer D40LF buses. In terms of operation, only two Canadian authorities and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operated such buses prior to the AAATA. The AAATA has 55 hybrid electric buses in its fleet of 92 and is the first public transit operator in the Midwest to state its intention to convert to all hybrid electric buses. In November 2012, the AATA broke ground on the new Blake Transit Center, at a cost of $8.1 million. The new 2-story, 12,019-square-foot downtown transit hub replaced a one-story structure built at the site at 328 South Fifth Avenue in the 1980s. The new Blake Transit Center was officially opened for use on July 7, 2014. In August 2013, the AAATA Board voted to change the agency's name from the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. The name change reflects the addition of neighboring Ypsilanti to the agency board and the growing focus on regional services within Washtenaw County's urban core. In December 2013, the Ann Arbor City Council approved adding Ypsilanti Township as a charter member of the AAATA.
Fares
AAATA uses a fixed-fare system. Full fare on fixed-route buses is $1.50, payable by cash or tokens. University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff with a valid yellow Mcard ride for free. Reduced cash fares and discounted passes and tokens are also available, with children under 6 and TheRide employees riding for free. 1-day and 30-day unlimited-ride passes are available for $4.50 and $58 respectively. Transfers are free, and are valid for unlimited connections to fixed-route buses for 90 minutes. They are not valid for return trips on the same route, event shuttles, or AirRide. Using a transfer on an ExpressRide bus reduces the fare by $1.50 to $4.75. The fare for the ExpressRide Canton and Chelsea is $6.25, payable by only cash. 30-day ExpressRide commuter passes and 10-ride tickets are available at discounts. FootballRide and ArtFairRide shuttles have the same $1.50 fare as normal service. Passes and transfers are not accepted, and reduced fares are not available. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority operates the 98 AirRide line in cooperation with the Michigan Flyer coach service, which runs an express route between downtown Ann Arbor and the McNamara and North terminals of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Wayne County. Fares are $12.00 for standard adults with reservation, $15.00 per walk-on, and $6.00 for the elderly or disabled. Children under 18 are allowed on free with a paying adult, during round trips.
Route and schedule booklets, branded as the "Ride Guide," are available for free onboard buses and at transit centers. The AAATA formerly ran a free Link Bus connecting central campus and downtown during the U-M school year until 20 August 2009.
