Grand Rapids saw a steep drop in ridership on its free downtown shuttle system in May after the city slashed routes to save on growing costs.

Monthly ridership on the DASH (Downtown Area Shuttle) declined 63%, from 46,482 riders in April to 17,173 riders in May, according to data shared at the July 8 Mobile GR Commission meeting.

That drop happened at the same time that the city consolidated the DASH route in May, eliminating nearly half of the system’s stops to create a smaller, more compact route.

The cuts were intended to help make the free-to-ride transit program more financially sustainable for the city amid a 30% rise in operational costs, said Mobile GR spokesperson Max Gilles.

DASH is a system of small buses that circulates daily throughout the downtown core, connecting passengers to key stops like the museum district, DeVos Place and the new Acrisure Amphitheater. It is funded by the city of Grand Rapids and operated by The Rapid.

Gilles said he could not pinpoint exactly why ridership dropped in May, but he attributed it in part to the consolidated routes and a subsequent reduction in service hours, which dropped from 631 hours a week to 315 hours a week.

Though the DASH’s hours of operation did not change under the consolidated route, Gilles said the system’s service hours were reduced because of buses spending less time on the road now that they’re not traveling all the way up to Leonard Street as part of their previous routes, significantly reducing travel time.

“We expected there to be a reduction (in ridership), because there was a reduction in the service,” he said.

He also said there is always a seasonal dip that the DASH sees in May ridership each year, which typically bounces back in the summer.

However, Mobile GR data shows May 2026 ridership was down 57.3% compared to May 2025, when the DASH counted 40,241 riders.

Gilles said the city expects to see higher ridership data for June and July, as more people use public transit with the amphitheater season in full swing, as well as other summer events downtown.

The city’s consolidation of the DASH route is a one-year pilot program, and Gilles said the route cuts were necessary to make the program sustainable.

DASH is free for riders because it is funded by the city’s parking fund revenue, which was projected at $25.3 million in fiscal year 2026. While the parking fund provides a steady stream of revenue, the DASH program’s operating costs were expected to increase 30% for fiscal year 2027.

The route reduction is saving the city $1.6 million annually, keeping this year’s budgeted cost at $2 million, Gilles said.

The consolidated DASH route, which launched on May 4, has one clockwise loop with 15 bus stops, as opposed to 25 stops and both clockwise and counterclockwise loops under the previous route.

The previous route also brought riders all the way north to Leonard Street and south to Wealthy Street, while the shorter route now ends at Bridge Street to the north and Cherry Street to the south.

Over the coming months, Mobile GR plans to hold public meetings in the city’s three wards and launch a community survey to gather feedback from the public on the consolidated DASH pilot.

The engagement effort will seek public input on the impact of the consolidated route, barriers riders have experienced, whether the DASH should remain free, where routes should run and how frequently buses should stop.

The plan is to engage with the public in the late summer and early fall, with a final decision on the future of the DASH program expected to be made by the Grand Rapids City Commission in winter 2026.

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