The Detroit People Mover, a single line rail system that was opened for service in 1987 and was proposed as a rail to connect downtown Detroit with the metro Detroit area, until committed government funding was withdrawn, but the construction on the rail continued. The issue with the Detroit people mover today is its 12 million deficit, which is coming at the expense of taxpayer money that the city of Detroit and State of Michigan can surely use in other ways.
This problem is important to discuss and find solutions for because Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, financial issues are at large. Between Detroit Public Schools being in such bad conditions that teachers protest, and general financial crisis within the past 25-50 years, the city needs …show more content…
Instead of marketing it as just another mode of transportation, add a stronger tourism appeal to the rail. If automated speakers and monitors with scripts describing the history and interesting facts about the areas the Detroit People Mover is currently moving through (and an appropriate redesign of the interior), it can be marketed as a way to learn more about the city while actively traveling around the city without the burden of traffic. With the soon to be M-1 Rail that will stop not only near one of the Detroit People mover’s stations but also at the existing Amtrak Stations, the connectivity between downtown Detroit and midtown Detroit will be greatly improved, and the tourism opportunities expand when considering the connection with the Amtrak train station. With The Detroit People Mover becoming more about tourism instead of transportation, I believe that the People Mover can also raise the price a reasonable amount because of the upgrades to the mover and the new intended audience, maybe doubling from 75 cents to a $1.50 a ride or more, while offering yearlong or seasonal passes available at a discount for volume price (Maybe, for example, basing it on a 75 cent a day, 5 days a week pricing [Which would be 195.75 a year]) for existing users such as city based employees that typically ride the rail to get around the city. The tourism appeal of the People Mover would in turn bring in more people to the rail at a higher price to riders, in turn increasing the overall bottom line of the
This problem is important to discuss and find solutions for because Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, financial issues are at large. Between Detroit Public Schools being in such bad conditions that teachers protest, and general financial crisis within the past 25-50 years, the city needs …show more content…
Instead of marketing it as just another mode of transportation, add a stronger tourism appeal to the rail. If automated speakers and monitors with scripts describing the history and interesting facts about the areas the Detroit People Mover is currently moving through (and an appropriate redesign of the interior), it can be marketed as a way to learn more about the city while actively traveling around the city without the burden of traffic. With the soon to be M-1 Rail that will stop not only near one of the Detroit People mover’s stations but also at the existing Amtrak Stations, the connectivity between downtown Detroit and midtown Detroit will be greatly improved, and the tourism opportunities expand when considering the connection with the Amtrak train station. With The Detroit People Mover becoming more about tourism instead of transportation, I believe that the People Mover can also raise the price a reasonable amount because of the upgrades to the mover and the new intended audience, maybe doubling from 75 cents to a $1.50 a ride or more, while offering yearlong or seasonal passes available at a discount for volume price (Maybe, for example, basing it on a 75 cent a day, 5 days a week pricing [Which would be 195.75 a year]) for existing users such as city based employees that typically ride the rail to get around the city. The tourism appeal of the People Mover would in turn bring in more people to the rail at a higher price to riders, in turn increasing the overall bottom line of the