Eric Green (at left), LTU’s Tech Transit coordinator, with a trio of student drivers and one of the extended vans the university bus line uses to provide service to thousands of riders a year.

LTU photo.

One of the lesser-known perks of attending Lawrence Technological University in Southfield is a free bus line called Tech Transit. And the service, which recently completed its seventh academic year, has set another ridership record.

Tech Transit provided service to 15,260 riders in the 2018-19 academic year, according to Eric Green, Tech Transit coordinator at LTU. That’s up 9 percent from 14,050 riders in the 2017-18 academic year. Green also noted that the system has come a long way since its inception in the 2012-13 academic year, when it saw just 4,040 riders.

“We are continuing to see a steady increase each year with ridership,” said Green, who also serves as LTU’s cross country and track and field coach. Green said a rider questionnaire helped the service add and delete stops for more effective service, including additional afternoon runs on some routes.

Tech Transit operates four regular routes:

• The Blue Line, which provides service from five locations on LTU’s campus to the emerging City Centre commercial strip on Evergreen Road between 10 Mile Road and Civic Center Drive;
• The Orange Line, which provides service along Ten Mile, Lahser Road, Twelve Mile Road, and Evergreen Road, offering access to the Southfield Transportation Center and Post Office on Lahser, a Kroger and CVS Pharmacy at 12 Mile and Evergreen, and Michigan First Credit Union at Evergreen and 11 Mile;
• The Silver Line, which provides service up Civic Center and Franklin Road to 12 Mile, returning to campus on Telegraph and Northwestern Highway, providing access to several apartment complexes, the AMC Star Southfield 20 movie theaters, and the Tel-Twelve Shopping Plaza; and
• The Green Line, which provides service from the Southfield main campus to LTU’s Detroit Center for Design + Technology at 4219 Woodward Ave. in the booming Midtown area.

The service is free to students and staff with an LTU identification card. The buses are driven by about 25 LTU students who have chauffeur’s licenses. Service is provided in large vans.

Green said that with additional activities at LTU’s Blue Devil Stadium, opening Sept. 1—including six LTU home football games, and numerous LTU lacrosse, LTU soccer, and high school football games—the service will also be providing additional shuttle service to the stadium from LTU’s parking lots.