Blue Water Area Transit

Blue Water Area Transit

BWAT bus in downtown Port Huron
Founded	1976
Headquarters	2021 Lapeer Avenue
Locale	Port Huron, Michigan
Service area	St. Clair County, Michigan
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Routes	9
Daily ridership	4,400 (weekdays, Q2 2025) [1]
Annual ridership	1,037,500 (2024) [2]
Fuel type	CNG
Website	bwbus.com

Blue Water Area Transit (BWAT) is the public transit operator serving Port Huron, Michigan and surrounding St. Clair County. Operated by the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWATC), the BWAT system includes fixed-route buses in the Port Huron area, plus commuter routes (connecting the city to SMART in Metro Detroit) and paratransit services. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 1,037,500, or about 4,400 per weekday.

History

Following the cessation of private buses in Port Huron in 1968, BWAT commenced operations in 1976, with the assistance of neighboring SEMTA. ^[3]

BWAT began operating buses powered by compressed natural gas in 1996, and soon held the largest alternative-fuel transit fleet in Michigan. ^[4] The system's current fleet consists almost entirely of CNG-powered buses.

December 2015 saw the opening of the Blue Water Transit Bus Center in downtown Port Huron, which serves as the system's main hub. The $9.8 million facility includes a small store, as well as underground boilers to keep the sidewalks clear of snow and ice in the winter. ^{[5] [6]}

In 2021, BWAT acquired two Proterra ZX5 battery-electric buses, becoming the first Michigan transit agency since the 1970s to operate electric buses. ^[7]

Routes

BWAT operates eleven fixed bus routes, using a fleet consisting mostly of Gillig Low Floor, ElDorado Axess, and ElDorado E-Z Rider buses.

Local routes

These routes operate from 6am-11pm Monday-Friday and 7:45am-11pm on Saturdays. Numbered routes begin and end at the Blue Water Transit Bus Center downtown.

• 1 – Electric Ave
• 2 – 24th Street
• 3 – Sams Club transfer
• 4 – Holland
• 5 – Pine Grove/ Mall
• 6 – Home Depot
• 9 – Beard/Dove
• Shopper Shuttle (circulator through Fort Gratiot Township, serving Birchwood Mall and other retail stores)
• Blue Water Trolley (downtown tourist trolley circulator, runs June–September)

Regional routes

These operate only on weekdays, connecting Port Huron to Chesterfield Township in Macomb County, where connections are available to SMART's route 560 and Gratiot FAST.

• I-94 - express from Port Huron to Chesterfield, with intermediate stops at park-and-ride lots in Marysville and Casco; two trips each way in the morning, one trip each way in the evening. ^[8]
• M-29 - local service via Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City, Algonac, and New Baltimore; one trip each way in morning, and another in the evening. ^[9]

Cost

• Adult fare - $.80
• Children 17 and under - $.65
• Senior/disabled - $.40
• Under 5 – free

References

1. "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. August 27, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
3. "Our History". Blue Water Area Transit. 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
4. "SMR pilot program with Blue Water Area Transit to end this fall". The Voice. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
5. "Downtown Transit Center" . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
6. "Port Huron bus hub to open in November" . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
7. McElroy, Dave (2021-07-06). "New all-electric buses coming to Port Huron". WPHM. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
8. "I-94 Express". Blue Water Area Transit. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
9. "M29 North & South". Blue Water Area Transit. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2023-04-02.

External links

• Official website