Detroit Bus Company Gets Grant To Give Kids A Lift

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit Bus Company is taking on a new mission: getting the city's kids to summer employment and after school programs.

The Skillman Foundation has given the company $100,000  to create the free service for the foundation's Youth Development Alliance.

Andy Didorosi, head of the Bus Company — known for the colorful exterior of its fleet — says this will prompt more kids to get involved in the 90-plus programs Skillman offers.

"Some kids will be pretty tenacious; they'll walk in the dark, they'll ride their bike, they'll take public transit — but that isn't a good solution," Didorosi said.

"They need to get there quickly and safely and accountably," he said. "And so we have staff specifically tasked with getting kids there safely and keeping track of exactly where everyone's at."

The bus will serve kids in Southwest Detroit and the Chadsey-Condon neighborhood — just east of intersection of I-94 and 96. Didorosi hopes will eventually expand to other Detroit neighborhoods.

"These programs are crucial," said Didorosi. "You know, participation in these programs really leads to success and graduation. The issue is getting there."

The six-month pilot program starts July 1.