DDOT Unveils Updated Plan, Some Buses To Run Every 15 Minutes
DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit Department of Transportation is making more changes to bus service as it tries to become more reliable.
At a public hearing Wednesday evening, DDOT CEO Ron Freeland unveiled the "415 Plan" which calls for buses to run every 15 minutes along the city's busiest routes.
He admits, however, some people who will lose service aren't going to be happy.
- View a detailed rundown of DDOT service changes (.pdf format) -
This latest move by DDOT comes after months and months of citizen complaints regarding lousy service. Detroit residents reported waiting for up to three hours at bus stops while Mayor Dave Bing accused city mechanics of deliberately slowing down repairs to disabled buses and the union accused the mayor of laying off too many mechanics.
Last fall, Bing promised a swift end to the city's bus crisis after City Council members passed a resolution calling on him to step up this efforts.
At this point, Detroiter Dave Whitfield said he doesn't have much faith in the system.
"It's ridiculous," Whitfield told WWJ City Beat Reporter Vickie Thomas. "I mean, if you've got a car, fine. I you don't have a car and you've got to depend on the transit system, you're in trouble."
Ora Holmes of Highland Park sees a bit of improvement.
"The buses was so short at one time, we could hardly get out of Highland Park. (Now) it's a little bit better. They're speeding up a little bit more," she said.
When the new plan goes into effect April 28, riders are asked to check the schedule because wait times between buses for all routes will either increase or decrease.
