Can you get through a UMich week without a car?
Often, yes. Whether you can depends on your week, not on the neighborhood name. Campus runs its own bus system, and a student with an active U-M yellow MCard rides TheRide city buses free through the MRide program. Between feet, a bike and buses, a lot of students never park anywhere.
A car earns its keep in a few places: groceries in bulk, a job or placement off the bus lines, and trips out of town. Sort your own week into those buckets before you decide, because the answer for a North Campus engineering student with a lab kit is not the answer for an LSA student a few blocks from the Diag.
Wroomly is independent and not run by the university, so use the university's transit pages for current routes and rules. The links at the bottom of this guide point to them.
Which parts of the week are hardest without one?
Three things come up again and again: groceries, anything that runs on a schedule the buses do not, and leaving town.
Groceries are the big one. Students without cars shop at stores on city bus lines. A U-M student life guide to grocery shopping without a car lists Aldi off Route 31 from the Blake Transit Center, Trader Joe's off Routes 4 and 104 along Washtenaw Avenue, and Kroger in the North Campus area. The catch is carrying it all back: a full cart does not fit in one bus ride and one backpack, so plan smaller, more frequent trips.
Schedules matter next. Campus routes run on their own calendar. Bursley-Baits, the Diag-to-Diag Express, the Northwood Express and the Oxford Shuttle run only in the fall and winter terms, the two express routes run on class days only, and Northwood has weekend gaps in spring and summer. If your job, practice or placement starts early or ends late, look at the bus map for those exact hours before you count on it.
Leaving town is the third. Detroit Metro Airport sits outside Ann Arbor, so a flight home or a weekend away usually means a ride, a shuttle, a rental or a friend. TheRide lists an airport service page on its site; check it for what is running now.
Five questions that decide it
Answer yes or no to each, about the semester you are actually signing a lease for. Count the yeses.
This is a rule of thumb for your own planning, not a rule about any area or any kind of person.
| Yes answers | Where you land | What it looks like | Lease and parking question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | No car | Walk, bike and ride buses; groceries in small bus trips; rides or rentals for the occasional trip out | Ask whether bike storage is secure and covered, and whether you can opt out of a parking charge if one is bundled into rent |
| 1 or 2 | Occasional car share | No car of your own; borrow or rent one for the big grocery run, a move or a trip home | Ask where visitors and rental cars can park, and whether there is a guest parking limit |
| 3 to 5 | Own a car | A car parked at your place most days, used for work, gear or distance | Ask whether parking is assigned, what it costs per month, whether it is in the lease or a separate agreement, and what happens in snow removal |
- Do you have a regular commitment that the buses do not reach or do not serve at that hour, such as an off campus job, a clinical or field placement, or an early or late shift?
- Do you need to haul gear every week, such as an instrument, lab or studio equipment, or sports kit?
- Would a weekly grocery trip by bus, carrying it all back, be a dealbreaker for you?
- Do you leave Ann Arbor by road more than about once a month?
- Does your front door sit well beyond a comfortable walk or bike ride from both a bus stop and a grocery store?
What changes in winter?
Everything takes longer. Walking to a bus stop in snow is slower, and so is waiting for a bus. Buses run on the university and city calendars, so check service alerts on TheRide's site and the campus bus tracker rather than trusting last year's memory.
Owning a car in winter has its own chores: clearing it after a storm, moving it for plows if your building asks, and finding a spot. If you do not have a car, the winter question is mostly about what you can carry and how far you walk to a stop. Look at your route in the dark and in the cold before you sign.
What do you check about parking before you sign a lease?
Campus parking and apartment parking are two different systems. The university's parking permits cover university lots, and they are not the same thing as a space at your building. Check the university's parking pages for permits and the lease for your apartment.
Leases commonly handle parking in one of a few ways: a space included in rent, an assigned space for an extra monthly charge, a first come lot with no guarantee, or street parking with city rules. Which one you have is a question for the lease and the landlord, not something to assume from the listing photos. If you are not sure what a clause means, ask the landlord or the leasing office, and check with the city or a lawyer for anything beyond what the lease says.
- Is a parking space included in the rent, or is it an extra charge?
- Is the space assigned, or first come?
- Is parking written into the lease itself or into a separate agreement?
- Is there a guest or visitor spot?
- Who clears the lot in snow, and when do cars have to be moved?
- If you will not have a car, can you skip a parking charge?
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Frequently asked questions
Do UMich students need a car off campus?
Many do not. Campus buses, city buses, walking and biking cover most daily needs near campus, and active U-M students can ride TheRide free with a yellow MCard. A car helps with bulk groceries, trips out of town, and jobs or placements off the bus lines. Count your own week before deciding.
Can I get groceries in Ann Arbor without a car?
Yes, with planning. A U-M student life guide lists Aldi, Trader Joe's and Kroger reachable by city bus, so you can shop without a car. The trade is carrying everything back, so most students shop in smaller, more frequent trips instead of one big weekly run.
Is parking included in Ann Arbor student apartments?
Sometimes. Leases commonly include a space in rent, charge extra for an assigned space, offer a first come lot, or leave you to street parking. It varies by building, so ask the landlord what the lease says about parking, what it costs, and whether you can decline it.
How do I get to the airport without a car?
Detroit Metro Airport sits outside Ann Arbor, so plan a shuttle, a ride, a rental or a lift from a friend. TheRide's website lists an airport service page, so check it for what is currently running before you book a flight home.
