The Rapid buses atRapid Central Station
Founded	1963 (1963) 2000 (as The Rapid)
Headquarters	300 Ellsworth Avenue SW
Locale	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Service type	Bus service Bus rapid transit (BRT) Paratransit
Routes	23
Hubs	Rapid Central Station Woodland Mall
Fleet	166
Daily ridership	19,400 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[1]
Annual ridership	6,601,000 (2024)[2]
Fuel type	Diesel CNG
Chief executive	Deborah Prato
Website	ridetherapid.org

The Rapid is thepublic transit operator servingGrand Rapids, Michigan and its surrounding suburbs. The Rapid operates local service in urban areas inKent County, and regional service toFerris State University andGrand Valley State University inMecosta andOttawa Counties.

The Rapid is the marketing name of theInterurban Transit Partnership, aspecial district that covers 6 cities in Kent County. The Interurban Transit Partnership collectsproperty taxes in the 6 member cities to fund its core services, and maintains contracts with 3 additional municipalities and 2 universities for additional services. The Rapid operates 23 bus routes, and also providesparatransit andcarpool coordination services. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 6,601,000, or about 19,400 per weekday.

Formed by the City of Grand Rapids in 1963 as theGrand Rapids Transit Authority, the system became a regional authority in July 1978 and was renamed theGrand Rapids Area Transit Authority (GRATA).

In January 2000, GRATA reorganized as the Interurban Transit Partnership, an organization formed by the City of Grand Rapids and five suburban communities; the agency soon adopted "The Rapid" as itsbranding.^[3][4][5][6]

TheRapid Central Station, the system's main transit center in downtown Grand Rapids, opened in June 2004. The station, whose main platform incorporates aTeflon fabric roof, was the firstLEED-certified transit facility in the United States.^[6][7][8] That year, the system received the "Outstanding Public Transportation System" award from theAmerican Public Transportation Association.^[9] It would go on to win the award again in 2013.^[10]

The Rapid ended the sale of paper tickets and passes online, at Rapid Central Station, and on buses in November 2019.^[11]

In August 2022,Byron Township ended its service agreement with The Rapid.^[12] Following the contract's termination, all stops in Byron Township were discontinued, with route 10 running nonstop through Byron Township to its destination in Gaines Township.^[12][13] The following October,Transdev began to operate The Rapid's paratransit services under contract.^[14]

In August 2023, after failed negotiations betweenCascade Township and The Rapid, service on Route 29 was cancelled. Route 28 was extended to cover a small part of the service area of Route 29 within the city ofKentwood.^[15]

In May 2009, voters in The Rapid's member communities rejected amillage increase, which included early plans for abus rapid transit line on Division Avenue, to be called the Silver Line.^[16][17] A similar increase was approved, by a narrow margin of 136 votes, in May 2011.^[18][19] The BRT project, Michigan's first, had a $40 million budget, of which $32 million was covered by federal grants; the rest was to be funded byMDOT.^[20] Work commenced in April 2013, and was completed in mid-2014, $3 million under budget.^[21][22] The completedSilver Line opened for service on August 25, 2014.^[23]

While the Silver Line was under construction, The Rapid commissioned a study in 2013 to explore the feasibility of a second BRT line, connecting the downtown Grand Rapids campus ofGrand Valley State University with its main campus inAllendale.^[24][25] This BRT line was a long-term goal of The Rapid management; the study was prompted, however, by overcrowding on route 50, an existing route serving GVSU.^[26] Route 50 later changed its routing in August 2015 to follow the path of the proposed BRT corridor. $57 million in federal grant funding was approved for the line in 2016, with MDOT covering the remaining $14 million.^[27] Construction began in 2019, and the Laker Line began passenger service on August 24, 2020.^[28][29]

The Rapid's main service area consists of its six member cities, whose property taxes fund the system:Grand Rapids,East Grand Rapids,Grandville,Kentwood,Walker, andWyoming. Select routes also serviceAlpine Township,Cascade Township,Gaines Township,Grand Valley State University, andFerris State University, which fund said services under contract with The Rapid.^[12]

The Rapid operates Michigan's only two bus rapid transit (BRT) lines: the Silver Line and Laker Line.

The Silver Line is a 9.1-mile (14.6 km) BRT line along Division Avenue, connecting downtown Grand Rapids withWyoming andKentwood. The line, which runs every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends, is operated with a fleet of ten diesel-electric hybridGillig BRT buses.^[30] It previously had ticket machines and farecard readers on station platforms, before off-board fare collection was discontinued on the line in 2022.^[31]

The Laker Line is a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) BRT line connecting downtown Grand Rapids with the main campus ofGrand Valley State University inAllendale. The line, which primarily runs alongLake Michigan Drive, has 12 stops in Grand Rapids andWalker and two at GVSU; no stops are made between GVSU's campus and theKent-Ottawa county line. The route serves GVSU's Pew campus in downtown Grand Rapids, theMedical Mile, and theJohn Ball Zoological Garden. Inbound buses stop at Pew Campus before proceeding into downtown, then double back to terminate at Pew.

With 10-minute headways on weekdays during the fall and spring semesters (during the summer, it runs every 15 minutes), the Laker Line is the most frequent route in The Rapid's network; it is also the only route operated using articulated buses, with a fleet of sixteen CNG-poweredNew Flyer XN60 vehicles.^[30] Ticket machines and farecard readers are located on each station's platform.

The Rapid operates 23 fixedbus routes, and special services forGrand Valley State University,Grand Rapids Community College andFerris State University (see below).

Routes 1 through 15, along with the Silver Line BRT, begin at Rapid Central Station.

Most buses operate seven days a week. Routes 3, 5, 12, 13, 14, and 24 do not operate on Sundays. Routes 27 and 33 only run on weekdays, Weekday service is from around 4.30-6am until after 11pm or midnight. Saturday service is between around 6 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sundays are between around 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

To aid scheduling, some routes "interline". This means that a specific vehicle will serve multiple routes as part of its scheduled run by that driver. For example, on weekdays, route 7 arrives at Central Station and continues as the 15.

During the school year, additional routes are used to serve students in the Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) district.

Under contract with the City of Grand Rapids, The Rapid operates theDowntown Area Shuttle (DASH)circulator shuttle in downtown Grand Rapids. The routes are free to all passengers, operating every fifteen minutes, Monday through Saturday.^[33]

DASH routes were revamped in 2016 and again in 2018. From September 1 the North DASH straightened its route along Monroe, rather than along Ottawa Avenue. The South route was effectively merged into the West DASH, covering the west side DASH lots, Pearl Street, via Division and Fulton to Ionia covering the Arena South lots, and then south to the Downtown Market and Wealthy Street Silver Line station. Service to the Cook-DeVos Center previously provided by the Hill DASH has long since been replaced by the rerouting route 50 along the planned Laker Line route. Service frequency was also reduced from 8 minutes to 15 minutes, and service on Sunday was eliminated.

DASH was reconfigured again in May 2023. The two previous 'north' and 'west' routes were replaced with a single loop encircling downtown, routed to serve the previous routes' destinations, plus Central Station and theGrand Rapids Public Library. Service is now run in both directions, with route 51 following the loop clockwise, and 52 running counterclockwise. Monday and Tuesday service was eliminated, though Sunday service was brought back.^[34] A temporary route, DASH WORK, was introduced to service commuter lots, running during weekday peak hours only.^[35]

Grand Rapids Community College provides route number 60, a shuttle bus connecting the school's main campus with the nearby DeVos campus. Stops are located in front of Sneden Hall at the DeVos campus, and at Fountain and Bostwick at the main campus. The bus is free for GRCC students and employees, and runs Monday through Thursday during the Fall and Winter semesters.

Ferris State University contracts with The Rapid to provide shuttle bus service from Grand Rapids to the University's main campus inBig Rapids. Originating at Central Station, the route includes stops nearKendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, and theCedar Springs Meijer. Standard Rapid tickets are not valid on this route; special fares apply.

The Rapid's standard fare is $1.75. Passengers can pay their fare in cash or by using the system's reloadable Wavesmart card. When paid with the Wave card, the fare includes unlimited rides for 105 minutes.^[36] The Wave card also includes a dailyfare cap; a rider using the card will not be charged more than $3.50 in fares per day, regardless of how many rides are taken. As of April 1, 2025 fare capping will be $5.25 in fares per day, regardless of how many rides are taken.

Children under 42 inches (1,100 mm) in height do not pay a fare. A yellow stripe on the hand rail by the entrance denotes the height limit.

Other services provided by the ITP include:

• Car and Vanpooling Assistance: forcarpools, the service matches people who make arrangements based on similar work schedules and travel patterns. Forvanpools, employees can use The Rapid minivans to get to work.
• County Connection: provides transportation in all ofKent County, Michigan.
• GO!Bus: provides transportation for those with disabilities.
• PASS: curb-to-curb service. Provides transportation into specific neighborhoods where there is low concentration of bus routes.

This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2024)

The Rapid has announced a new vision for new services to be in place by the year 2030. Proposed Services include a downtown streetcar system, expanded routes to Byron Center and eastern Ottawa County's Georgetown Township and the city of Hudsonville. A regional express bus service is also under consideration that would provide shuttle service from outlying areas into downtown Grand Rapids.^[37]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toThe Rapid (Grand Rapids).

• Official website
• The Rapid Transit Master Plan

• Bus transportation in Michigan
• Transportation in Kent County, Michigan
• Transportation in Grand Rapids, Michigan

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