The number of visitors using Blue Water Area Transit’s downtown bus center more than doubled during Blue Water Fest. The center had 736 patrons on Thursday (July 12) and 786 on Friday (July 13).
“We had more than twice the 320-350 visitors that usually use the center,” said BWAT general manager Jim Wilson.
The largest number of visitors that ever used the center was during Port Huron’s 2018 Chilifest. There were 1763 visitors on Saturday (January 27). This was over five times the usual number of visitors.
Blue Water Fest is best known for the chance to view sailboats before the Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race. This year, Family Night on Thursday featured pony rides, a petting zoo, fireworks and children’s games. Boat Night on Friday featured live music on three stages, food vendors and a carnival.
“Everyone appreciated having the center open until midnight, so they could use the restrooms,” said Teresa Orchard, who staffed BWAT’s center on both nights. “During concerts, lots of people sat down inside and outside of the center to enjoy listening to the music.”
Usually, the transfer center is open until 10:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
The Blue Water Transit Bus Center opened downtown in March 2015. It is located between McMorran Boulevard and Grand River Avenue, east of Erie Street. Its central location serves passengers from the community college, the senior center, downtown Port Huron and the McMorran entertainment complex.
More than 2,000 passengers board buses every weekday at BWAT’s downtown transfer center. Buses leaving the center travel along seven fixed routes in Fort Gratiot township and Port Huron. BWAT also provides dial-a-ride service in Marysville and the townships of Port Huron, Fort Gratiot and Burtchville, as well as commuter service to northern Macomb County.
“We’re glad to help our community reach out to visitors during festivals and downtown events,” said Anita R. Ashford, Blue Water Area Transportation Commission Board vice chair and Port Huron mayor pro tem. “The center’s comfortable and convenient resources extend an impressive welcome mat.”
Blue Water Area Transit recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, as well as the sesquicentennial of public transportation service in the Blue Water Area.
William Pitt Edison (older brother of the celebrated inventor Thomas Edison) started the local tradition of innovation 150 years ago. He operated horse-drawn trolleys on several routes as the Port Huron & Gratiot Street Railway Company.
he Blue Water Area became one of the nation’s first communities to operate electrified trolleys in the 1880s and then motor coaches in the late 1920s. Bus service started in 1927 and continued until an eight-year hiatus from 1968 to 1976. Since BWAT started publicly funded bus service in 1976, the transit agency has carried more than 31 million riders.
