[7] Multiple privately owned bus companies in Ann Arbor faced financial difficulties beginning in the late 1940s.

Great Lakes Greyhound ended its Ann Arbor services in 1957, and its successors faced financial ruin.

[14] In late 1973, Washtenaw Community College provided funds to run a bus service from Arborland Center to their campus in Ann Arbor Charter Township.

[21] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the AATA under director Michael Bolton worked with the city and the University of Michigan to create a 20-year transportation plan.

[26] The name change reflects the addition of neighboring Ypsilanti to the agency board and the growing focus on regional services within Washtenaw County's urban core.

In December 2013, the Ann Arbor City Council approved adding Ypsilanti Township as a charter member of the AAATA.

The Carpenter Road Meijer store, located in northeast Pittsfield Township, is a connection point for multiple bus lines in the Ypsilanti area.

[33] TheRide operates shuttle services for special events, including the Ann Arbor Art Fairs and Michigan Wolverines football home games.

[31]: 91  The Amtrak station is also the Ann Arbor stop for multiple intercity bus services, including Greyhound and FlixBus.

[36] The Michigan Flyer, which runs 12 daily trips from East Lansing via Brighton to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, stops at the Blake Transit Center.

[38] In 2023 it added late-night summer buses from June to September, allowing Ann Arbor residents to leave Detroit near midnight.

[42] TheRide currently operates a mix of Gillig Low Floor and Nova Bus LFS buses on its fixed routes.

[44] In 2022, the AAATA began exploring a series of plans to replace its entire diesel-powered fleet with battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses by 2035.

[31]: 6–7 Free fares are available for University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff; children under 6; registered seniors 65 years of age and over; customers with disabilities who are eligible for paratransit; and TheRide employees.

[47] Throughout its existence, the AAATA has worked on projects with other government agencies within Washtenaw county in order to improve transit service.

[48] An early part of this plan is a new property tax for the AAATA service area starting in 2024 which, in addition to addressing a structural deficit, will increase hours, provide at least 30 minute headways on weekends, and add an express route between the Blake Transit Center and the Ypsilanti Transit Center.

[53] The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is a special district under Michigan law, which has agreements with six municipalities in Washtenaw County to provide services.

Other sources of funding include local property taxes, federal and state operating assistance, and purchase-of-service agreements.