Six new routes for BATA in Suttons Bay area

The Bay Area Transportation Authority will soon have a much greater presence in the Leelanau Peninsula, as it's adding six new bus routes in the Suttons Bay area in Leelanau County.

BATA hosted a meeting this week to take questions about and explain the new routes and system, to help BATA riders use the system effectively.

Carrie Thompson, BATA director of business development, says the new routes have a number of benefits. They are integrated with the rest of the BATA system using the Suttons Bay Village Loop, and riders can flag down the bus anywhere along the area routes.

The buses have flexible routes of up to three-quarters of a mile for each leg of each route, so they can drop off and pick up riders more conveniently. The set stops are located conveniently and marked with new signage. Brochures and stop information are available on the BATA website.

The new routes are part of major service and route improvements launched in the spring of 2013, after BATA studied how to better meet area transportation needs.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Bay Area Transportation Authority