Eatran

What Eatran does

EATRAN (Eaton County Transportation Authority) is a public-sector transportation authority operating in Eaton County, Michigan. Its functional mandate is to provide open-door, curb-to-curb public transportation to all county residents regardless of age, ability, or circumstance, supplemented by out-of-county medical trips into Ingham County and a Charlotte Connector scheduled route within Charlotte. The organization operates a fleet of 30 vehicles (3 vans and 27 buses, with 24 of the buses configured as bi-fuel gas/propane), employs over 34 individuals, and delivered 90,867 rides in FY2024-2025. Service hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, with a 7:00 am to 5:00 pm reservation window.

The business model is a hybrid public funding structure rather than a commercial revenue model. Approximately 15% of funding comes from passenger fares (regular $2.00, senior/disability $1.00, out-of-county medical $3.00 each way, with veterans and children under 5 riding free), while 85% is sourced from government channels: state funding (~37%), voter-approved property tax millage (~30%, currently 0.25 mills for the 2026-2031 renewal cycle on the November 2026 ballot), and federal transportation funding (~18%). Fares are collected per-trip via cash, token strips of 10 sold through seven city/township halls and the main office, with credit cards accepted at the headquarters only.

Go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: EATRAN acquires riders through outreach, special-event participation (Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival, Charlotte Frontier Days, Eaton County Fair), and partnerships with Meals on Wheels, Tri-County Office of Aging, Capital Area Community Services, and Peckham for disability services. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with a Local Advisory Council providing community input, operates under ADA, Title VI, and Limited English Proficiency compliance, and participates in the county Emergency Operations Committee for emergency evacuations. There is no technology platform, mobile app, API, or proprietary AI system; scheduling and dispatch operate on conventional demand-response workflows.

Name

Eatran

Legal name

Eaton County Transportation Authority

Website

https://eatran.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EATRAN is a Michigan public transportation authority providing curb-to-curb transit, out-of-county medical trips, and a Charlotte Connector route to Eaton County residents, funded by a mix of state appropriations, voter-approved property tax millage, federal grants, and passenger fares.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transportation Services

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Special Needs Transportation (485991)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAFAGAF

Park-and-Ride / Express Commuter Bus Operators

Transportation & Logistics/Passenger Transportation (Air, Rail, Bus, Taxi/Rideshare)/Public Transit Bus Operators (Municipal/Regional)

SECONDARYBPAIACAM

Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

Keywords

• Public transportation services
• Demand response transit
• Curb-to-curb transport
• Medical transit services
• Paratransit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Passenger Fares: Revenue from passenger fares including regular fares, student fares, senior fares, disability fares, and out-of-county medical trip fares. Token sales also contribute to fare revenue. Fare revenue represents approximately 15% of total funding.
2. Property Tax Millage: Local property tax millage funding approved by voters every five years for operational expenses. Currently proposed at 0.25 mills for 2026-2031. Represents approximately 30% of total funding.
3. State Funding: State government funding representing approximately 37% of total funding.
4. Federal Funding: Federal government transportation funding representing approximately 18% of total funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Core offering

Eatran (Eaton County Transportation Authority) is a public transportation authority that provides open-door, curb-to-curb transportation throughout Eaton County, Michigan. Core offerings include demand-response rides within the county, out-of-county medical trips to Ingham County, and the Charlotte Connector scheduled service. The authority operates a fleet of 30 vehicles (3 vans and 27 buses, with 24 bi-fuel) and provides discounted fares for seniors, persons with disabilities, students, and free service for veterans.

Product overview

EATRAN is a public transportation authority providing curb-to-curb transportation services throughout Eaton County, Michigan. The core offerings consist of Demand Response service (in-county curb-to-curb transportation), Out of County Medical Trips (to Greater Lansing), and the Charlotte Connector schedule. Additional offerings include a token prepayment system, free transportation programs (election polls, birthdays, cancer screenings), and special event transportation. The company operates a fleet of 30 vehicles (3 vans and 27 buses, with 24 bi-fuel) and provides employment to over 34 individuals. No technology platform, API, or AI-enabled products are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Demand Response (Curb-to-Curb Service)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90,867 rides provided in 2024-2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EOC (Emergency Operation Committee)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEATRAN belongs to the Emergency Operation Committee, providing vehicle availability for emergency situations beyond regular service hours. Participated in emergency evacuations including the Potterville tornado in 2007, Sunfield/Mulliken power outage evacuation, and Red Robin evacuation.
• Tri-County Office of AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing transportation services for seniors. Representative Joseph Gutierrez serves on the EATRAN Local Advisory Council representing this organization.
• Capital Area Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing transportation support. Representative Jeff Keener serves on the EATRAN Local Advisory Council representing this organization.
• PeckhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing services for persons with disabilities. Representative Lana Doerr serves as Local Advisory Council Chairperson representing this organization. EATRAN provides transportation supporting Peckham's disability services.
• Meals on WheelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEATRAN participates in Meals on Wheels community events, providing transportation coordination for meal delivery services to seniors and persons with disabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kalamazoo Metro Transit: Michigan public transit system providing fixed-route buses and paratransit service in the Kalamazoo area. Comparable as a mid-sized Michigan public transit authority with ADA-accessible fleet and demand-response offerings.
• Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA): Operates fixed-route and demand-response transit across the Greater Lansing region, including portions of Eaton County (Delta Township). Comparable as a Michigan public transit authority serving overlapping geography with similar paratransit and senior services.
• Bay Metro Transit: Regional public transit authority in Bay County, Michigan, offering fixed-route and demand-response services including senior and ADA paratransit. Comparable scale and service mix to EATRAN's county-level operation.
• Jackson Transportation Authority: Public transit system serving Jackson, Michigan with fixed-route and demand-response service. Comparable as a small-to-mid-scale Michigan transit authority with similar funding-mix exposure to state and millage support.

Broad incumbents

• TheRide (Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority): Larger Michigan urban transit authority operating fixed-route bus service, paratransit, and on-demand services in the Ann Arbor area. Overlaps with EATRAN on accessibility and demand-response paratransit, but at a meaningfully larger scale.

Others

• SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation): Regional transit authority serving suburban Detroit and parts of southeast Michigan with fixed-route and paratransit service. Comparable mission (public transit, ADA compliance, partnerships with aging services) but operates at substantially greater scale than EATRAN.

Emerging players

• Uber Health: Uber's healthcare transportation service offering on-demand patient rides to medical appointments. Overlaps directly with EATRAN's out-of-county medical trip offering and competes for the same ADA-eligible and senior rider base.
• Modivcare: Largest U.S. non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) broker and personal-care provider. Directly competes for the medical-trip, senior, and ADA paratransit segment that represents a core EATRAN service line via software and contracted driver networks.
• Via Transportation: On-demand transit technology platform powering demand-response microtransit for public agencies. Comparable because EATRAN's core product (curb-to-curb demand response) is the same use case Via serves, with a more modern software stack and routing algorithms.
• Lyft Healthcare: Healthcare-focused arm of Lyft providing non-emergency medical transport for patients to appointments. Comparable to EATRAN's out-of-county medical trip product but with app-based booking, broader hours, and consumer-facing convenience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eatran

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eatran