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Private company

Blue Water Area Transit

Logo: bwbus.com3

Transit system

Blue Water Area Transit (BWAT) is the public transit operator serving Port Huron, Michigan and surrounding St. Clair County. Operated by the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWATC), the BWAT system includes fixed-route buses in the Port Huron area, plus commuter routes (connecting the city to SMART in Metro Detroit) and paratransit services. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 1,073,100, or about 4,800 per weekday.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1976Founded1

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BWAT 2021 ElDorado E-Z Rider II BRT 21614
Photo: 42-BRT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Blue Water Area Transit (BWAT) is the public transit operator serving Port Huron, Michigan and surrounding St. Clair County. Operated by the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWATC), the BWAT system includes fixed-route buses in the Port Huron area, plus commuter routes (connecting the city to SMART in Metro Detroit) and paratransit services. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 1,073,100, or about 4,800 per weekday.2

The story

Following the cessation of private buses in Port Huron in 1968, BWAT commenced operations in 1976, with the assistance of neighboring SEMTA.

BWAT began operating buses powered by compressed natural gas in 1996, and soon held the largest alternative-fuel transit fleet in Michigan. The system's current fleet consists almost entirely of CNG-powered buses.

December 2015 saw the opening of the Blue Water Transit Bus Center in downtown Port Huron, which serves as the system's main hub. The $9.8 million facility includes a small store, as well as underground boilers to keep the sidewalks clear of snow and ice in the winter.

In 2021, BWAT acquired two Proterra ZX5 battery-electric buses, becoming the first Michigan transit agency since the 1970s to operate electric buses.

From Wikipedia’s article on Blue Water Area Transit, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1976Founded Founded1

Sources

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