Regional Transit Authority considering operating QLine

• There's due diligence to be done to make sure the QLine transitions over with a "balanced budget that requires no burden to the region's taxpayers," per the release.
• "Further action" is expected early next year, and it's still unclear how the QLine would look under the RTA.

Of note: The QLine's transfer to operate under the RTA in 2024 has been scheduled since years before it opened. Under the public agency the QLine has more federal and state funding opportunities.

• The RTA is a public agency with a board of appointed members from Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties, plus Detroit.

Catch up quick: Construction on the QLine started in 2014 with $150 million in philanthropic donations from Dan Gilbert's organization, Penske Corp. and others. It opened in 2017.

• The QLine is a small system within a 139-square-mile city that lacks adequate non-car access, and critics have pointed to delays, technical problems and low ridership over the years.

Yes, but: Ridership has improved, with a 62% increase between last January-August and the same period this year, per the Free Press. Ridership is still lower than early hopes but is improving after the height of the pandemic.

• The streetcar also got a $5 million annual subsidy from the state that keeps it free through 2039.