Getting around Brighton: public transport, passes and taxis

Brighton is a small city in Livingston County, southeast Michigan, sitting between US-23 and I-96. Almost every trip a visitor makes — downtown dinner, a day at Kensington Metropark, a run to Hell or Ann Arbor — is a drive of 10 to 40 minutes with free or cheap parking at the other end. That is why the table below puts a car first and treats everything else as a fallback.

Prices are 2026 estimates. Fares and schedules change; confirm before you rely on a specific bus or shuttle.

If you are flying in, pick up a rental car at Detroit Metro (DTW) rather than relying on transit to reach Brighton. Rates run about US$45–110 a day before insurance and fuel, and one-way drop fees can be steep, so return the car where you collected it if you can. Michigan roads are wide and signed in miles; a US-23 or I-96 junction is the fastest way in and out.

Downtown Brighton parking is the easy part: street spaces and municipal lots around Main Street are free or low-cost, and you rarely circle for long outside festival weekends. Kensington Metropark and the state recreation areas charge a per-vehicle entry fee at the gate. Winter changes the plan: lake-effect snow and ice can slow US-23 and I-96, so add time and keep an ice scraper in the car.

Uber and Lyft both operate around Brighton and neighbouring Howell, and this is the practical way to drink downtown without driving. A hop between a hotel on the Grand River corridor and Main Street is usually a short, cheap ride; expect surge pricing on Friday and Saturday nights and around big events.

For a flight, book a ride-hailing car or a local taxi the night before, because driver supply in Livingston County is thinner than in Ann Arbor or Detroit and early-morning requests can go unanswered. Airport runs to DTW are the expensive leg — budget for the upper end of the range and tip 15–20% in the app, which is the US norm for both taxis and ride-hailing.

Brighton does not have a frequent city bus network that a visitor can build a day around. Regional services in southeast Michigan are patchy and mostly aimed at commuters and dial-a-ride users, so treat any bus as a specific, checked trip rather than a default. If you are determined to go car-free, confirm the route, the day it runs and the fare directly with the operator before you plan around it.

The wider US pattern applies here: outside the big transit cities, plan on ride-hailing or a car. For intercity legs, coaches and trains leave from Ann Arbor or Detroit rather than Brighton, which means getting to those hubs first.

Downtown Brighton is compact and pleasant on foot: Main Street, the Mill Pond boardwalk and the surrounding blocks are a 5–15 minute walk from each other, and this is the one part of town where you can leave the car parked. Beyond downtown, the city spreads along highways with wide verges and few pavements, so walking between the centre and a suburban hotel is not realistic.

Cyclists use the Mill Pond paths and quiet residential streets for short links. Longer rides mean loading the bike onto a car and driving to a trailhead, or joining the regional trail network where it connects; check current trail status and any pass requirements locally.

A car-free visit only works if you stay downtown and keep your trips short. The moment you add Hell, Kensington Metropark, Ann Arbor or the airport, a rental car usually costs less than repeated ride-hailing, and it gives you the freedom to stop where you like.

Figures below are 2026 estimates and exclude insurance, fuel and park entry fees unless stated.

A few habits make Brighton easier to move around in, whatever you drive.