Transit advocates press city to ‘double DDOT’
- Detroit Disability Power
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
by Malachi Barrett with Bridge Detroit
We’re in the home stretch for approving Detroit’s $3 billion budget for 2025-26.
A public hearing was held Monday for residents to voice comments and concerns directly to the council. It wrapped up three weeks of budget hearings where department heads outlined their needs and made requests for additional funding.
Next, the City Council will negotiate funding changes with Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration during executive session meetings this week. A final vote on the budget is scheduled for April 7.
Last year, the council secured an extra $33 million for projects during the executive sessions.
The changes represented just 2% of the overall budget, but included programs that remove dangerous trees from private property, cover lead paint in older homes, fund capital improvements at libraries, museums and Eastern Market, shelter new migrants and support the Office of Eviction Defense.
Most Detroiters who came down to Monday’s hearing advocated for a large increase in public transportation funding. More than two dozen transit advocates marched into the meeting after holding a rally outside the city’s office building.
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) will receive $209 million in Duggan’s budget proposal, a $20 million boost from the previous year.
Advocates thanked Duggan, saying they’re grateful for the increase, but the budget still falls short of what’s needed to create an accessible and reliable system.
Detroit People’s Platform activist Rochella Stewart said “investment across the board” is needed, starting with hiring more drivers and mechanics.
DDOT’s budget includes $135 million from the city’s General Fund. The rest comes from ticket sales and grants.
Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero requested an additional $16 million in DDOT’s budget, raising the General Fund contribution to $151 million.
Transit advocates want to incrementally raise the General Fund contribution so that it doubles in the next five years, reaching $300 million.
They say the additional money could be used to pay drivers more competitively, put more buses on the street, build new shelters and benches, expand evening hours and more.
DDOT Reimagined is the department’s long-term road map to boost ridership and improve the transit experience. It calls for shorter wait times for buses, expanded service hours, more shelters and upgraded seating.
Megan Owens, the executive director of Transportation Riders United, said the plan isn’t possible without more investment.
“It’s an awesome vision, we want to see it happen, but at this rate it’s going to take 10 years to make that happen,” Owens said.
“My 12-year-old daughter shouldn’t have to wait until she’s 22 before the city has reliable, frequent bus service. It is going to take roughly double the number of drivers and double the number of buses for (buses to run) every 10 minutes. That is why we are fighting to double DDOT.”
Amalgamated Transit Union President Schetrone Collier said current funding hampers DDOT’s ability to attract and retain bus operators. Collier said it costs DDOT $40,000 to train each operator and many are “poached” by other transit agencies that pay more.
“If we want to grow this region and have it become a world-class city, you cannot make that happen without addressing transit issues,” Collier said on Monday.
Transit is becoming a top issue in 2025 elections. Three City Council candidates joined transit advocates at Monday’s demonstration: District 5 candidate Chantel Watkins, District 7 candidate Denzel McCampbell and Stephen Boyle, who is running for an at-large seat.
Stewart said council members who are running for reelection or seeking to replace Duggan as mayor are focusing more on transit due to Detroiters’ advocacy.
“You’ve got to think about the people electing you,” Stewart said. “I know (city leaders) have to go along with billionaires, but think about the people that put you in (office).”
Boyle said he lives just over a mile from the nearest bus stop along the 16-Dexter route. He works evenings at a restaurant and is often left waiting for buses that arrive hourly after 8 p.m.
“We need to start making sure people get home and are safe,” Boyle said. “We are creating segregated opportunities in this city because the access is not present for a large number of people.”
Amy Hemmeter said bus service gets “noticeably worse” in the afternoon and on weekends. She uses the 5-Van Dyke-Lafayette bus to go grocery shopping on Saturdays at Joe Randazzo’s Market. Hemmeter and her husband have been stuck so often they coined a name for it: Being “strand-azzoed.”
Donnell Whitley and Michael Cunningham II said a lack of shelters forces seniors and disabled residents to endure harsh weather conditions. Only 5% of bus stops have a shelter and 1.5% have benches.
Advocates also linked transit with a need to support residents who have a disability. Nadine Miller, who is fully blind in one eye and impaired in the other, said she can’t navigate the city without reliable public transportation.
Representatives of Detroit Disability Power, a nonprofit group that pushes for full inclusion of people with disabilities, said "chronic underfunding” of public transit threatens a crucial lifeline for residents.