Detroit’s beloved Opening Day celebration kicks off this Friday, bringing droves of baseball fans from all over to the downtown area.
If you’re visiting the city for the Detroit Tigers’ home opener on April 8 and want to avoid paying for gas and parking, there are several transportation options to get you into and around the city without a car. We built this guide with the help of Transit Guide Detroit, one of the best resources available for transit in Metro Detroit.
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Also note: It looks like we’ll have some rain on Friday, so keep that in mind when making plans!
This app may help
To find transportation options wherever you are, download the Transit app. It offers a list of nearby bus routes and stops, active ride sharing services, as well as QLine stops and MoGo bicycle stations, where you can rent a bike to get around.
Click here to learn more about the app.
Bus
If you’re coming from outside of Detroit, you may want to consider riding a public bus into the city. SMART offers a FAST riding service meant to help people get from the suburbs to Downtown Detroit quickly.
FAST Gratiot is currently running but one of their weekday commuter routes is not. Route #561 is a special FAST route that runs between Mt. Clemens and Wayne State only, and is not currently running. The main route between Chesterfield & downtown is running. Click here to learn more, and see maps of the routes below.
Regular fare prices are $2 for a four-hour pass, and $5 for a 24-hour pass. Reduced fares are available to eligible riders.
To purchase and use your pass for SMART busses, you can download and use the Dart app. Click here to learn more about the app.
Riders can also pay with cash.
Buses are also available through DDOT all across Metro Detroit. Click here to learn more about their routes.
Related: Detroit Tigers announce 16 roster moves -- 3 key relievers hurt, 4 final bullpen spots awarded
QLine
The QLine is a public railcar that operates up and down Woodward Avenue, from Downtown Detroit and up into the city’s Midtown/New Center neighborhoods. Passengers can ride the QLine for free.
Visitors could park outside of the downtown area and near a QLine stop, and utilize the transit service to get downtown.
The streetcar could get caught in traffic, despite its use of transit-only lanes. So, be prepared for potential delays with this option.
Click here to learn more about the QLine’s stations and route.
MoGo Detroit
If you’d prefer to get some fresh air while getting around Detroit, there are MoGo bicycle stations throughout the city where you can pay to rent a bike.
Riders can purchase a pay-as-you-go pass for $1 to unlock, and then pay 25 cents for every minute the bike is in use. There is also $18 and $20 prepaid passes available. Once you’ve finished your ride, you drop off the bike at one of dozens of MoGo stations in the area.
Click here to find MoGo stations in Detroit, and to see how many bikes are available at each one.
Related: I-94 closing this weekend in Detroit as Tigers open season
Driving yourself
If you do plan to drive downtown and park your own car, it may be helpful to download Detroit’s new parking app called Park Detroit. You can use the app to pay for metered parking, or to find a parking garage or lot near you.
You can pay for metered parking on the app, on the app’s website or at kiosks stationed on the sidewalks.
Note: Both Uber and Lyft operate in Detroit.