On Friday, September 30, 2011, elected officials from Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties, and the City of Detroit, announced the formation of "Regional Partners Advocating Transit Here (R-PATH), a bi-partisan, volunteer group that will push for the creation of a regional transit authority and, ultimately, a regional mass transit system.

Leading up to the announcement was a presentation by transportation officials from Denver, Colorado, highlighting how Denver overcame significant challenges to develop a $1.67 billion light rail and bus system serving the eight county area surrounding Denver. Since the system opened in 2006, ridership in Denver is up 16% over initial estimates, and officials estimate that for every $1 invested in the transit system, $4 comes back to the local Denver economy.

For more details regarding legal issues surrounding public transit authorities and systems, please contact Mark Koerner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .