 | |
 Indian Trails bus in Pontiac, Michigan | |
| Founded | 1910 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Owosso, Michigan |
| Locale | Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota |
| Service type | Inter-city bus |
| Annual ridership | 1 million+[1] |
| Website | indiantrails.com |
Indian Trails, Inc., is an intercity bus operator primarily serving the U.S. state of Michigan, with routes also serving Wisconsin and Minnesota. Indian Trails is based in Owosso, Michigan, with offices in Romulus, East Lansing, and Kalamazoo.[2]
Indian Trails was founded in 1910 in Owosso by Wayne and Cora Taylor as the Phillips-Taylor Livery Service, whose main business was transporting cargo to and from Durand Union Station and the surrounding Shiawassee County. Cora Taylor was the first woman in the United States to be issued a chauffeur's license.[3] Beginning in the 1910s, the company expanded to include intercity offerings, becoming known as the Owosso-Flint Bus Line and by the 1930s served much of southern Michigan. Many of its buses ran along US 12, known as "the Old Indian Trail." Reflecting this, in 1935, the company took its current name, Indian Trails.[4]
Indian Trails offers charters, casino trips and regular fixed-route daily service.[5] In 2006 Indian Trails assumed responsibility for a number of routes in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula which Greyhound Lines had discontinued.[6]
Indian Trails' daily scheduled bus service is part of Michigan's Intercity Bus System recognized by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
In November 2006, Indian Trails, in partnership with Okemos Travel, launched the Michigan Flyer, an express service connecting East Lansing, Jackson, and Ann Arbor with Detroit Metro Airport.[7][8] In 2012, the Michigan Flyer absorbed the AirRide express service operated by TheRide, and service to Jackson was discontinued.[9][10] In October 2019, a new stop was added at the Meijer store in Brighton.[11]
On March 1, 2023, Indian Trails ended its longtime operating agreement with Greyhound Lines, and introduced a new ticketing system.[12][13] The company also overhauled its route network, reintroducing direct service from Detroit to Chicago, among other changes.[14][15] Chicago service was subsequently discontinued in November 2023.[16]
Effective November 1, 2023.[16]
| Route | Major stops |
|---|---|
| 1483 | Detroit, Southfield, Pontiac, Flint, Owosso, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo |
| 1484 | Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Cadillac, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, St. Ignace |
| 1485 | Detroit, Southfield, Pontiac, Flint, Bay City, Alpena, St. Ignace |
| 1488 | Detroit, Southfield, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Clare, Gaylord, Petoskey, St. Ignace |
| 1489 | St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Crystal Falls, Ironwood |
| 1490 | Hancock, Houghton, Marquette, Escanaba, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Milwaukee |
| 1491 | Ironwood, Hurley, Ashland, Iron River, Superior, Duluth |
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Indian Trails operates the Michigan Flyer, an express service connecting East Lansing, Brighton, and Ann Arbor with Detroit Metro Airport. The service makes nine round trips daily.[17]
In May 2023, Indian Trails introduced Hytch, a shuttle service which provides door-to-door transportation from Lansing-area addresses to the Michigan Flyer stop in downtown East Lansing. Operated by Via Transportation, Hytch uses minivans, driven by independent contractors (referred to by Via as "driver partners") to provide rides.[18] Hytch is available exclusively for ticketed Michigan Flyer passengers, who can add the service to their trip reservation for $10 extra per ride.[19]
In partnership with the RTA of Southeast Michigan and TheRide, Indian trails also operates the D2A2, a nonstop intercity bus service from downtown Detroit to downtown Ann Arbor. Launched in 2020,[20][21] the D2A2 operates roughly every hour on weekdays, and every two hours on weekends.[22]
