Residents urge Muskegon to treat public transit as critical infrastructure; vice mayor issues apology for prior meeting remarks

Speakers at the meeting and callers urged the City Commission to make public transportation a higher priority and to treat transit as critical infrastructure for working families.

“I'm a working class solo parent,” said Christy Collins, who described relying on ride services for medical appointments when her car failed. “I scheduled the ride in advance... and then the ride was canceled by the go‑to service one hour before the scheduled pickup time. At that moment, I was scrambling... there was no reliable backup option.” Collins asked the commission to prioritize transit reliability, noting national data that link transportation access to employment and health‑care access.

Caller Michelle Tyson said a transportation roundtable is planned for Feb. 20 with a grant writer present and representatives from city and township governments to pursue funding opportunities. Another caller, a downtown business owner, voiced support for improved transit and suggested solar‑powered parking shade and updates to the noise ordinance to support nighttime businesses.

Other business: Vice Mayor Keener opened the evening’s commissioner remarks with a prepared apology for confusion and lack of clarity at a prior meeting. Keener said she “would like to sincerely apologize for the confusion and lack of clarity that occurred during last week’s commission meeting,” and committed to preparing more thoroughly and improving communication going forward. The mayor acknowledged the statement and apologized for a separate interruption during the organizational meeting.

Why it matters: Residents said inconsistent transit creates missed appointments, lost wages and stress; callers urged the commission to pursue grant funding and regional coordination. City staff and community groups have signaled they will pursue meetings and grant opportunities to expand or stabilize service.