Getting Around, Lansing Travel, Transport and Car Rental
(Lansing, Michigan - MI, USA)
Those who have chosen to vacation in Lansing will find out that this capital city enjoys good transport connections with other Michigan cities, such as
Detroit to the southeast. It is also possible to travel to
Chicago by road in around four hours, by following the I-94 to the west and heading towards the southerly shore of Lake Michigan.
There are a number of large international airports within the vicinity of Lansing, all of which are connected by Greyhound bus transport and various budget travel options. Chicago's busy O'Hare and Midway airports are reachable, although considerably further away than the airports of Detroit, Grand Rapids and the Flint Township.
If you are opting for a rental car, then you will have the freedom to explore southern Michigan at your own pace. Within downtown Lansing itself, traffic is generally fairly light, even during peak commuting times and at the weekends. Traffic jams rarely last long and are most likely to be encountered on the eastern and western areas of the capital.
Capital Region International Airport (LAN) / Arriving by Air
Address: 4100 Capital City Boulevard, Lansing Charter Township, Michigan (MI), 48906, USA
Tel: +1 517 321 6121
The Capital Region International Airport resides on the northwestern side of the city, being found part-way in between the Delta Township, the DeWitt Charter Township, the Lansing Charter Township and the Watertown Township. From downtown Lansing, the airport is just 4 miles / 6.5 km away and can be comfortably reached in under 15 minutes.
This small air facility handles around 400,000 passengers per annum, who travel onboard airlines such as Allegiant Air, Chautauqua Airlines, ExpressJet, Pinnacle Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Sun Country and United Express. Bus transport at the airport is operated by the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Monday to Friday, from 07:00 until 19:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00. Taxis and limos also regularly travel to and from Lansing city center, while car rental options include Avis, Budget, Hertz and National.
Bishop International Airport (FNT)
Address: G-3425 West Bristol Road, Flint Township, Michigan (MI), 48507, USA
Tel: +1 810 235 6560
Distance / direction: 53 miles / 85 km northeast
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Address: 2501 Worldgateway Place, Detroit, Michigan (MI), 48242, USA
Tel: +1 734 247 7678
Distance / direction: 89 miles / 143 km southeast
Detroit Airports Guide
Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)
Address: 5500 44th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan (MI), 49512, USA
Tel: +1 616 233 6000
Distance / direction: 61 miles / 98 km west
Car Rental
Lansing is located on the southern side of Michigan and is within driving distance of both the
Indiana and
Ohio state borders. Choosing a rental car as your main transport is popular with many visitors, thanks in no small part to the plentiful highways and interstates, such as the I-69, the I-96 and the I-496, as well as the US-127, which heads northwards to Houghton Lake and southwards to the Harrison Lake State Park. The I-69 leads to Fort Wayne (to the south) and to Sarnia (to the east), while those who wish to travel to Detroit should follow the I-96 in a southeasterly direction.
Buses
Tel: +1 517 394 1100
The Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA) runs the public transit service within the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan region. In total there are now more than 30 different bus routes, used by many thousands of passengers on a daily basis.
There are two transportation centers in the city, with one being located within downtown Lansing and the other sited at the Michigan State University campus. Buses travel to many of the principal attractions, hotels and shopping centers, including the following stops:
- Brookfield Plaza
- Capital Area District Library
- Capital Region International Airport
- Cedar Park Shopping Center
- Cooley Center
- Cooley Law School Stadium
- Davenport University
- Delta Center
- East Lansing City Hall
- Eastwood Towne Center
- Edgemont Shopping Center
- Fenner Nature Center
- Foster Library
- Frandor Shopping Center
- Grand River Foster Shopping Center
- Lansing Mall
- Logan Center
- Meridian Mall
- Michigan Avenue Park
- Radisson Hotel
- Riverfront Park
- Southland Plaza
- Sparrow Hospital
- Westside Community YMCA
For longer journeys, Megabus and Greyhound bus transport services the city and provides a very affordable way to travel to destinations such as Detroit, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Daily buses to
Chicago are available thanks to Indian Trails Bus Lines, while the Michigan Flyer Motorcoach is on hand to transport passengers to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, stopping off en-route at both Ann Arbor and Jackson.
Trains
Tel: +1 517 332 5051
The Amtrak railway station resides on South Harrison Road, in East Lansing and next to the campus of the Michigan State University. Rail transport travels along the Michigan Services route, between Chicago and Pontiac. From East Lansing, trains head westwards, stopping off at Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Dowagiac, Niles, New Buffalo, Michigan City and Hammond. In the opposite direction, trains travelling to Pontiac stop at stations in Durand, Flint, Lapeer, Port Huron, St. Joseph, Bangor, Holland, Grand Rapids, Albion, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Detroit, Royal Oak and Birmingham.
The Blue Water Services route also stops at East Lansing's Amtrak Station, running from Chicago to Port Huron, via New Buffalo, Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Durand, Flint and Lapeer.
Taxis
Numerous taxi firms travel around this state capital, 24 hours a day. Taxi transport is ideal for short journeys, being especially easy to find in East Lansing by simply heading to Albert Street. Other parts of the city don't always have such a good coverage and therefore you are advised to phone ahead, giving at least 20 minutes notice, particularly at the weekend or when major sporting events are taking place at the Michigan State University.
- Anytime Anywhere Taxi - tel: +1 517 881 1601
- Big Daddy Taxi LLC - tel: +1 517 367 7474
- DD's Downtown Taxi - tel: +1 517 252 4498
- Green Cab - tel: +1 517 643 1905
- Party Cab Company LLC - tel: +1 517 331 4844
- S Cabs- tel: +1 517 374 5500
- Spartan Yellow Cab - tel: +1 517 482 1444