The MDetroit Center Connector will give its last ride June 21, according to a University statement.
According to the press release, University officials decided to end the service after a “careful overall analysis of the current system.”
Established in October 2013, the connector was created in partnership with the Semester in Detroit program to provide transportation to students, staff and faculty on Fridays and Saturdays. The program sought to encourage community outreach and service opportunities, as well as research and engaged learning.
The connector was made possible through grants from the University’s Third Century Initiative Transforming Learning Program. The transit serviced stops at the Eastern Market, the Cultural Center, Downtown and southwest Detroit, free of charge for anyone with a valid UMID .
While a primary aim of the service was to provide the University community with a more efficient option for traveling to and from Detroit on the weekends, data analysis indicated expansions for the program were necessary — on average, more than 150 students, staff and faculty used the transit weekly during its first year of operation.
After receiving approximately $153,000 of funding from the Office of the Provost, the service expanded to offer transportation on a four-day schedule.
In an e-mail to the Daily, University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said funding for the program expired and ridership was not high enough to warrant a continuation of the program.
“Grant funding has now expired and ridership did not support the operational funding required to continue the service,” he said.
According to the release, the transit has serviced more than 2,000 students, staff and faculty from more than 60 programs at the University.
“The Detroit Center staff is pleased so many were able to take advantage of this opportunity to bridge the transit gap between the University and Detroit communities while the MDCC was in service,” the release read.
Correction appended: A previous version of this article stated ridership for the connector has dwindled. Ridership has remained consistent, according to University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald.