Detroit is not just known as the center of the automotive industry; it is a city where daily life is almost impossible without a car due to extreme dependence on automobiles.

There is a public transportation system in place. The DDOT (Detroit Department of Transportation) operates 37 bus routes, but many people report that service intervals lengthen in the evenings and on weekends, and reliability is often questioned. The fare is $2. There is also the SMART bus (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) that connects the suburbs, but it too has limitations in terms of route coverage and frequency.

Within downtown, the Detroit People Mover is quite useful. It is a 2.9-mile (about 4.7 km) elevated automated train that circulates through downtown with 13 stations. The fare is a low 75 cents. Additionally, the QLine Streetcar operates for free along Woodward Avenue from Jefferson Avenue to Grand Boulevard, covering 3.3 miles. It is helpful for those traveling between Midtown and downtown, but it lacks coverage for general living areas.

We cannot overlook the state of the roads. Detroit's road conditions are notoriously poor nationwide. The harsh Michigan winters, with their freeze-thaw cycles, have resulted in severe potholes. Major highways include east-west I-94 (about 40 minutes from Detroit to Ann Arbor), north-south I-75 (Chrysler Freeway/Fisher Freeway), and I-96 (toward west Lansing). The intersection of I-75 and I-94 is known as the infamous "Mixing Bowl," a notorious congestion area.

Rush hour is concentrated between 7-9 AM and 4-7 PM. The usual 40-minute commute from Detroit to Ann Arbor can extend to over an hour during rush hour, and the merging areas of I-75 and I-94 toward downtown are prone to frequent congestion. If you are moving to Detroit for the first time, I recommend actively using Google Maps or Waze, and if possible, choosing a residence close to your workplace to improve your quality of life.