Detroit Metro Airport Transportation a disgrace

October 19, 2009

Last week, the taxi contract for service to and from Detroit's Metropolitan airport was canceled, supposedly due to delay in payment of the contract fee.  That leaves limousine service through Metro Cars as the only transportation service serving the airport.  Here's my letter to the Detroit News:

Re: Taxi contract cancelled at Metro airport

Let's review one's ground transportation options to downtown Detroit from Metro Airport. There are no trains. No express buses. No door to door vans like Super Shuttle.  No hotel shuttles.  And now, a traveler doesn't even have the right to take a taxicab, at $50 plus one-way, to downtown. The only option left, outside of renting a car, is the Metro Car limousine. Laughably, Detroit fancies itself as a transportation hub, even a so-called "aerotropolis."Heck, the ground transportation alternatives at Metro Airport don't even rise to Third world status. This is an absolute disgrace. And one more reason to say No to Michigan.

On October 28, 2009 the Detroit News printed this letter:

"Airport choices a disgrace

"About the Oct. 14 story "Taxi drivers ask judge to block airport contract cancellation": Let's review the ground transportation options to downtown Detroit from Metro Airport. There are no trains, express buses, door-to-door vans or hotel shuttles. And now a traveler doesn't even have the right to take a taxicab, at $50-plus one-way, to downtown. The only option left, outside of renting a car, is the Metro Car limousine. Laughably, Detroit fancies itself as a transportation hub, even an "aerotropolis." Heck, the ground transportation alternatives at Metro Airport don't even rise to Third World status. This is a disgrace.

"Thomas E. Page, Detroit"

Also, I returned to Detroit today (Oct 28, 2009)after a week in Boston. Sure enough, there were signs posted at Metro Airport stating that no walk-up taxi service was available. Ground transportation options listed were the limousine service, rental cars, and SMART (buses). Truly a disgrace.