5 Alternative Mobility Options in Detroit

Living near the city and don’t want to drive in to Downtown? Or have a car parked but need a quick and easier way to get to your next meeting? 

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Downtown Detroit has seen many new mobility options go live this past year. Many of our members use these options to get around faster in the city. Check out these five alternatives to driving in Detroit. 

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1. Scoop. San Francisco based Scoop, the popular car pooling service, launched earlier this year to serve those carpooling into the city. Scoop currently serves seven zip codes in the city with plans to expand to the suburbs. How does it work? Scoop pairs you up with a driver to commute together and save on costs. Trips are prescheduled, and in the event a carpool is not available, a Lyft will be scheduled. Learn more about Scoop here. 

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2. Scooters. Detroit now has a variety of scooters options available to get you going to meetings faster. Bird, Lime, and Spin are three scooters you can rent and now use in the city. The general costs are close to the same. Lime or Spin are $1 to start and 0.15 cents per minute, though it’s reported they may go up to 0.33 cents later this year matching Bird’s prices. These scooters can travel up to 15 mph.  

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3. QLINE. The QLINE has been running for quite some time now, offering an option to get from Downtown Detroit to Midtown or the New Center areas. Though there have been some kinks in consistency, it can be an affordable option to get to and from these areas in the city. Passes are available starting at $3 a day or $30 for a monthly pass. Check out more details here. 

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4. Busses. The City of Detroit bus system has been seeing improvements over the past few years. Both the City of Detroit DDOT busses and SMART busses have frequent lines going all around the city. You can check the schedule for the city busses here, and learn more about the SMART bus routes here. Downtown bus lines converge at the Rosa Parks Transit Center a few minutes away from Bamboo. 

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Last week the city announced the QLINE is joining Dart’s regional transit payment system to make it easier to pay and use busses and the QLINE all in one pass. The new regional passes are available for reduced fare riders – seniors, people with disabilities, Medicare Cardholders, and students in grades 9-12 and youth ages six to 18 - who show valid ID. They also announced several busses will be updated to electric vehicles.

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5. Biking. More and more bike lanes have been popping up across the city. This curbed detroit map estimates that there are now 240 miles of bike lanes in the city. We have members who sometimes bike from as far away as Ferndale and Royal Oak during the summer. Bike safe and enjoy! 

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Need to drive and park in the city? Here are a few of the best parking options in Downtown Detroit our members use.