[subterranean]

Hate to be a naysayer, but truly wonder what kind of impact WALLY will really have. AATA projects 1200 rider per weekday, and I bet you could easily slash that number in half and you'd still be above the actual ridership when it rolls out. There just aren't that many people north of town in the nearby suburbs that would be willing to ride this thing. So many commuters come from the Lansing and Flint areas, and I don't see those people dropping off their cars in Howell or Brighton to hop on a train. Connect the train to Lansing and I we might have another story altogether.

Additionally, the train would need to be cheaper than gas+parking and the travel time would have to be comparable. They're estimating the travel time to be 37 minutes from Howell, which is comparable. But then you'd need to hop a bus to get to your destination if it's not in walking distance. It's 27 miles between the two cities, which is about what your average car gets in mpg on the highway, which would cost $8/day to commute x 20 work days = $160 a month. How much will the monthly fair be? Will there be free connections to the bus system?