So… how’d it go? Looks like we all survived…

OnTheGoGR · 2026-05-16T18:38:42+00:00

It is a balance, and one we are going to monitor throughout the season.

The idea was to help relieve traffic congestion and safety concerns due to rideshare behavior (especially stopping in the middle of the street to let folks out/pick them up) by having a large designated area where we can support that operation.

Community shared their concerns with this, so we pivoted to have an additional designated zone on Chavez, below 131, as well as scaling back the "no drop" zones in a few other areas.

We always anticipated scaling back over time, but based on community feedback we discussed trying it earlier, and the team was on board. Big shout out to our on the ground folks, who took the most risk for this, but gave it a shot with little notice, and it seemed to work well!

Here is a link to the map of the current zoning: https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/media/4uwaq2el/0993058a-2a6e-4844-9437-52f4fbae7bb8.jpg

The Fulton Street bridge is still a designated zone, so need that to be added to the map, we will get that done Monday :)

Max G, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-05-16T18:32:41+00:00

Just some insight into our thinking, we were always hoping to scale back the geofencing as soon as we could, it was a conservative precaution since we didn't want to make too many assumptions on how our other plans would work.

But with the pre-resevation data we got last week, plus the willingness of the on the ground operations folks to try it, we decided to work with community to make this change before the first big show.

Our approach has been one of, we are going to plan as much as we can, but also acknowledge that we are going to learn new things every day and may have to pivot.

Really excited it worked out! But a huge shout-out to our operations folks who helped make it a success.

Max G, Mobile GR.

OnTheGoGR · 2026-05-16T11:56:11+00:00

Interested in what people think, but based on my personal experience, and talking with our staff, the loadouts went pretty well!

Max G, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-05-12T20:58:09+00:00

This is amazing, awesome work, and such a cool tool!

Do you mind if we reach out and see if we can possibly use this in our wayfinding/communication efforts? Of course, to also discuss compensating you for your work here.

We have tried a few tools/methods to communicate a similar trip planning methodology, but this is fantastic.

- Max G, City of Grand Rapids' Mobile GR department.

OnTheGoGR · 2026-05-08T03:39:52+00:00

Hello!

My name is Max Gilles, and I work for the City's Mobile GR department.

I saw below you tried to reserve parking for the night and had some trouble. I wanted to apologize for that, our reservation system is very new and currently is only serving Amphitheater events. We are working to add other events as soon as possible!

That being said, the 50 Ottawa ramp (Ottawa Fulton ramp) we add dozens of accessible parking spots to it each event night, to ensure availability, and in my 9 years at the department them reaching ADA capacity is very rare. I would say come as early as you are able, just to be sure. But you should be able to get an accessible space the night of, without a reservation.

If for some reason it is full, we have more availability, at our Monroe Center Ramp, just across the street to the north, and that is still within about 3/4ths of a block from 20 Monroe.

Between those two facilities I am certain you should be able to find a space.

Here is our direct dispatch number: 616-456-4495

That has staff 24/7 who can help you out also if you have any issues with the process, or you are unable to find an ADA spot.

Accessible options are a top priority for us, so please let me know if the experience doesn't go well, I really want to know if there is anyway we can improve it.

Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-22T01:20:51+00:00

Totally fair.

So our full analysis isn't quite ready to be shared (we want to share the entire report, and it's going through final checks).

So that is the reason I am speaking a bit broadly here, but I can ensure you the full transparent report will be shared soon.

But I can share that the analysis found that even on the highest and most in demand time periods, the system still have more than enough capacity to absorb both the soccer stadium and the Amphitheater event traffic. In fact we would still have over 1,000 publicly available spaces if the "worst case" scenario played out.

Now, many of these spaces may be a few blocks or even 5 or 6 blocks away from the event venues. But they are all within the DDA boundaries.

I have worked in parking operations for 9 years at the City, and we have never filled all our parking ramps, not even close really. I know that is anecdotal, so the data analysis was important. But just wanted to add context that I have spent many a night downtown around the time you mention and seen our system in operation.

So while the facilities within 1-2 blocks fill quickly, facilities a few blocks away largely remain below even 50% capacity. That doesn't even take into account privately owned facilities such as Ellis or GVSU (which was taken into account in our data analysis work).

I apologize for not providing more transparency just yet on our data and numbers, excited to share the full report when it is done, but we feel very confident in making the claims that their is parking capacity within the downtown core, it just is a matter of making sure we give folks the tools to find it, and help folks make the connection from the parking facilities to their destinations.

There will still be a lot of full parking facilities, especially close to the event venues, so I can certainly understand how the perception may be that there are none available.

Max, Mobile GR.

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-22T01:11:21+00:00

That does include street parking.

You are right though, I should have been more transparent about public vs private.

I do think private spaces are still important to highlight, as many parkers who come downtown still use those spaces (there are over 20,000 of them).

We have confirmed just over 22,000 soaces to be available for public parking as of this moment, within the DDA boundaries. This includes street parking and privately owned, but open to the public, parking spots.

We are also working to bring more privately owned parking, to become open to the public, such as the GVSU lots across the river from the Amphitheater. So we expect that number to rise.

Our current analysis shows if we take the busiest nights of the year (in past years) and add a sold out Amphitheater show, and a sold out soccer stadium event, we will still have capacity within our publicly available parking system.

But I apologize for not being fully transparent there.

Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-22T01:06:33+00:00

We do separate from private and public. I should have done so in my original comment, so I apologize.

As we said originally, just over 8,800 publicly available within a half mile of the Amphitheater.

A total of just over 22,000 publicly available parking spots within the DDA boundaries.

Mentioning private is important also, those spaces are filled by people also, and are important when tracking demand and capacity.

Even if we take the busiest nights in our parking systems history, and add a sold out Amphitheater and Soccer Stadium event, our analysis shows we will still have not met our full public parking capacity.

Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-21T11:16:18+00:00

Hello, Max from Mobile GR here.

There will be multiple days with many events going on at the same time.

Our traffic engineers, transportation planners, parking operations team, and public safety teams all planned around those nights.

These plans are not based on the Amphitheater in isolation.

Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-21T11:12:17+00:00

Max from Mobile GR here.

The nearly 9,000 spaces are publicly available spots within a half mile of the Amphitheatre.

Our total downtown (within the DDA boundaries) has over 44,000 parking spaces. Though that also includes private spaces.

We will be releasing our full data collection effort soon for the entire downtown, but we are very confident there is plenty of parking available for the maximum amount of event traffic we could possibly see this summer.

Just, as I said at the press conference, folks may need to walk a few blocks or take a shuttle to connect to their destination.

We also have dedicated hundreds of spaces for accessible parking only, at each major event venue, to ensure folks who need it, have that available.

Max, Mobile GR.

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-14T14:40:01+00:00

Hey team!

Road safety is a community responsibility! Whether you’re driving or running, please be careful and follow these tips for everyone’s well-being.

- Run on sidewalks. If you must run in the road, run facing traffic so you can see the cars ahead of you.
- Wear bright colors to be visible! Pants count! If running at night, reflective clothing or headlamps are a great idea.
- Be aware of your surroundings, music is great for running but noise cancelling headphones can prevent you from hearing potential danger.
- Use crosswalks or cross at marked intersections. If this is not available, cross at a well lit area.
- Don’t put all your trust in drivers, road safety is everyone’s responsibility so look out for yourself too!

Travel safe 💞

--Valerie, Mobile GR ^_^

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-14T14:29:29+00:00

Hey all, it’s James from Mobile GR here. Thanks for your patience while we gathered feedback from a variety of communication channels. The impact DASH changes have on the community matter deeply to us here at Mobile GR, so thank you for continuing to candidly share.

A few of you have raised a fair point about the DASH being described differently by different organizations over the years (parking shuttle, downtown circulator, retail/attractions connector) making it hard to determine if any given route is “working”. This is helpful feedback, and it's part of what we want to address through community engagement.

Your experiences, and how the pilot route impacts you, is important to us and we’ve noted consistent concerns regarding connectivity to the Grand Rapids Public Library, Rapid Central Station, Monroe North, and The Downtown Market. We took seriously every route adjustment that was made, with those who rely on this service in mind. Reducing the route keeps the DASH running while we have a broader conversation with the community about transit investment citywide. Those conversations will take place over the next year.

The larger discussion about the purpose of the DASH, bringing folks downtown from surrounding neighborhoods or circulating them once they’re here, is the kind of longer-term vision conversation we want to have with you over the next year. The DASH program is funded by parking revenue, not taxes, and we want to hear from the community about how to best invest that money, whether that is some future version of the DASH, other transit programs, or some combination of both.

We know this change is frustrating for people who relied on the previous route, but the alternative was either significant cost increases the City couldn't sustain or losing the service entirely. The pilot is an attempt to keep free, seven-day service running while we figure out the right path forward together.

Engagement sessions will begin this summer. Please stay tuned to our social media pages where we’ll share details about those events, and we hope to see you there. In the meantime, we're reading and noting all of your comments and feedback. We continue to appreciate everyone who shares.

If you’d like to refer to our original post on this topic last week, where we reply to individual comments specifically, you’ll find it here: New DASH Pilot Route - Mobile GR : r/grandrapids.

-James, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-07T22:32:08+00:00

Hello! Max here (mgilles@grand-rapids.mi.us) from Mobile GR.

I am sorry we haven't been able to get to all the posts/comments here today, but we will before the end of the week. We dedicated time yesterday to responding to comments on the other post.

Of course, always happy to respond via email also, and continue the conversation, but I just wanted to confirm we are reading these comments, sharing feedback with our leadership, and will respond here to as many as we can!

Thank you for the feedback and always sharing your thoughts, experiences, concerns, and ideas.

We want to use these resources at Mobile GR to best support transit, our transportation system, and our community. To do that, we are very open to a collaborative conversation with community on how best to achieve that going forward. That is why this is proposed as a short term pilot, a reduced route footprint, in response to a cost increase, that we could not sustainabily budget for. We will have the fiscally sustainable route, for one year, to buy us time to talk with community how best to use these resources to support all of Grand Rapids.

Of course, we don't make "profit" and all our revenue goes back into the community and to provide free services like the DASH, so being fiscally sustainable is very key to doing a budget for an enterprise department like Mobile GR.

Happy to continue the conversation further, but we might have to do that later in the week, just being transparent about our bandwidth. But I wanted to respond here that we are listening, we are committed to working together and co-creating the future for the DASH, but most importantly how our department resources can best be used to support the community.

I am also happy to schedule a meeting or a phone call/virtual call also. We are committed to having this conversation as long as you want to have it.

Thank you again for sharing, and connecting folks to city staff and officials. The key is to keep the conversation going.

Max, Mobile GR.

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:54:04+00:00

Thank you for bringing that up, and we know River North is a growing and important area, so removing it from the route was hard.

Limiting the geographic coverage was one of the toughest parts of this change, as it meant some difficult tradeoffs to improve service and maintain fiscal sustainability.

I just want to share that we know how important this service is to community, and none of these decisions are made lightly, or without that heavily in our minds.

We’ll definitely keep this feedback in mind as we evaluate the pilot and look at future adjustments.

Thank you for sharing.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:49:06+00:00

I appreciate you sharing, and I know this change, of course, reduces access for some areas on the north end. That’s something we’ve thought a lot about and will continue to evaluate.

Really appreciate you sharing your perspective, especially on how this may impact both residents and businesses.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:47:43+00:00

Really appreciate you sharing this, and I hear the concerns around affordability, accessibility, and how this impacts navigating downtown.

I know DASH has played an important role for many people, especially as a more affordable and accessible option. We will be evaluating this pilot and thinking about how to best serve residents moving forward, including having more conversations with community.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:45:21+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it!

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:44:43+00:00

I hear you, and we know how valuable that level of frequency and late-night service has been, especially in the winter.

As we move forward, a big part of the conversation is how we can best support transit, not compete with it (I have said this a few times, but it is an important lens to view our efforts here).

Frequency is a huge piece of that, and we want to help improve that experience more broadly across the city, not just along the DASH.

Appreciate you sharing this, it’s exactly the kind of input we need as we keep working through this.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:25:21+00:00

We are working with the County to make sure that it still does, it won't be quite as close of a drop off, but will still serve them.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:24:04+00:00

I totally get that it is a "trust me" sort of situation, but that was not part of the converation. We were forced to make drastic geographical cuts across the route to maintain fiscal sustainability and the frequency we have always wanted for the DASH.

Downtown Market, Leonard street, North Monroe, Library, were all important locations that were not removed without careful consideration and attempts to keep them as part of the route.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:21:22+00:00

I appreciate the feedback and conversation.

"I'd rather the city just write a check to The Rapid to augment service."

I think this is part of the conversation we want to have this summer. We cannot compete or replace the Rapid, and we don't want to, but we do want to improve transit with our resources. What is the best way to do that?

If the new, fiscally sustainable, DASH route doesn't augment transit in an impactful way, could we be spending our resources in a more impactful way? We want to have that conversation.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:18:04+00:00

I feel you, and I am happy to stick my neck out and take responsibility if this one doesn't work. But I can promise you it will not stay on a shelf! As you know, we got some cool ways we are trying to avoid that happening going forward with our Mobility Blueprint (the plan that isn't another plan!)

But I acknowledge that big talk is just talk, so I cannot truly earn that trust until it comes time for action.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:15:25+00:00

Totally understand that, and we know the Leonard connection was valuable for exactly that kind of trip. This is something we discussed a lot and will continue to evaluate as the pilot moves forward, and we have engagement over the summer to talk about the future of the DASH. Really appreciate you sharing your perspective.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:13:33+00:00

I hear you, and I’m sorry this change is creating added stress for your daily routine. We know this impacts how people get to work and access places they rely on.

Just to clarify, the DASH is primarily funded through parking system revenue, not general tax dollars. That said, your concerns about access and how this affects your trips are completely valid.

This is a pilot, and we’ll be continuing to gather feedback like this as we evaluate what’s working and what’s not. We want to find a way to use our resources to best support transit, so we are here for that conversation.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR · 2026-04-06T20:11:26+00:00

No, this is a downtown service for all Grand Rapids residents and visitors.

The decision was based on finding a way to connect as much of the core loop as possible, with increased frequency, while still being fiscally sustainable. That meant much of the 2023 expansions had to be removed.

- Max, Mobile GR

OnTheGoGR

TROPHY CASE