Detroit Council Flooded With Complaints About Bus Service

DETROIT (WWJ) - More than half of Detroit's city buses are out of service on any given day and citizens who depend on the DDOT for transportation are not happy.

Detroit City Councilman James Tate and his colleagues say they have been flooded with complaints about slow bus service.

"We have people who are, again, losing jobs, cannot go to appointments," said Tate. "Children on their way to school may or may not get there on time. We've got to find a solution to it."

"So, regardless of what our sticky situations are, we need to resolve it," he said.

Councilwoman Brenda Jones called the current level of service unacceptable.

"We have 216 and only about 189 of them are running ... on a good day," said Jones. "That's truly not acceptable when so many people are out there waiting."

A spokesman for Mayor Dave Bing told council members Tuesday there is a work slow down among mechanics and steps are being taken to punish mechanics who do not complete work on a timely basis.

She said a meeting is being arranged between the mechanics' union and the mayor's office to tackle the issue.