Frankenmuth

21 PERFORMANCE ACADEMY DANCE COME DANCE WITH US! 300 W. GENESEE ST. FRANKENMUTH, MI. 48734 9892250350 Expanded Shuttle Services In 2 Explore More, Hassle Free. The Frankenmuth Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) led the return of the Christmas Shuttle in 2022 in an expanded fashion due to a great partnership with the Frankenmuth DDA and the Saginaw Transit Authority (STARS). The shuttles ran in 2021 for three consecutive weekends immediately following Thanksgiving. In 2022, the collaborative decided to expand to five weekends, starting on November 18th. The purpose of the shuttle is to help move people around town safely and to help address parking congestion in the immediate downtown area. There are designated parking locations at UpTown North Main as well as Michigan Brand on Weiss Street for those entering from the South. There are seven total stops on the route that loop with two buses and cover all of the commercial areas of town while maintaining wait times of 15-20 minutes per stop. The shuttles are adorned in their Frankenmuth best for the holiday season and are free to ride as well. The Frankenmuth CVB and DDA are sharing the cost of the shuttle agreement with STARS and have also increased signage this year to make visitors more aware of the opportunity before they approach the congested areas. The marketing and PR for this service was also increased from the pilot year and has likely helped with the increase in ridership. The City of Frankenmuth has used this program to also begin conversations with the team at STARS about other potential long-term public transit options for Frankenmuth. In 2021, the pilot program saw about 1,400 riders over the three weekends which was deemed a success by STARS public transportation standards. In 2022, the first two weekends saw a wonderful increase in shuttle ridership almost hitting last year's total riders. The partnership with STARS has provided the Frankenmuth community an opportunity to address seasonal congestion issues and offer a great service with professional drivers while maintaining federal safety standards in a way that works for Frankenmuth. 22

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