Route 44 runs along 60th Street, not straight to downtown
The Rapid’s Route 44 (60th Street) is a regular city bus that happens to pass near Gerald R. Ford International Airport, not a dedicated GRR–downtown shuttle. It runs along 60th Street on the south side of Grand Rapids, so it mainly helps airport workers or locals who already live or park near its stops rather than visitors landing in Terminal 1 for the first time.
This route uses standard The Rapid fares, so you pay the normal bus price instead of an airport premium on your ride along 60th Street. Because it’s a fixed-route city line, expect typical urban stop spacing and shared use with commuters, students, and airport staff heading to shifts that start and end outside the usual 9–5 pattern.
Route 44 does not pull into the terminal loop at GRR, so you’ll be doing at least one extra leg on foot, by bike, or via a short car drop-off from the main airport entrance on 44th Street to reach 60th Street. That extra leg can be a 10–20 minute walk depending on your exact stop, which matters if you land late at night or during winter weather in Grand Rapids.
Because there’s no tight airport branding, the schedule cadence can feel irregular compared with a 30-minute airport express bus, and headways may stretch enough that a missed bus can add a noticeable delay. Always check the current timetable for Route 44 on the day you travel instead of assuming a clockface pattern like every 15 or 20 minutes.
For most visitors going from GRR to downtown hotels near Monroe Avenue or the Van Andel Arena, rideshare or a direct car service often wins back the extra dollars in time saved compared with the indirect hop to 60th Street and a transfer to another Rapid line. If you still want to use Route 44, build at least one full headway into your schedule so a slip at baggage claim doesn’t wreck the rest of your trip.