DDOT goes directly to transit riders to get input on long-term strategic plan
(CBS DETROIT) – Despite a shortage of bus drivers, the Detroit Department of Transportation is expanding service this week on several routes during peak times. While these are immediate improvements, DDOT is working on a long-term strategic plan to meet Detroiters' transit needs, and so they want to hear from them in a unique way.
DDOT has a specially outfitted bus they're calling the Mobile Outreach Center that will make stops around the city for the next eight weeks.
Hop onboard, and you'll get a primer on the DDOT Reimagined Project. A long-term plan to redesign the current bus system to attract new riders and keep existing ones happy.
"A lot of folks are saying they want a five-minute walk or less to be able to get there. Well, to do that, not only do you have to enhance the amount of service that you're providing, but you have to tweak whether the routes are the right routes or not. And that's what this does. This goes as deep as to look at nonproductive routes and restructuring them to where the people are," C. Mikel Oglesby, Executive Director of Transit for the City of Detroit, said.
DDOT has already done the first round of feedback. Much of the input lines the inside of the Mobile Outreach Center. Some current users have to wait a while.
"Anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, sometimes depending on what time you get here. They're usually pretty good on their schedule," Charles Amore, a transit rider, said.
Many transit riders would like money toward new bus shelters, mobility hubs, and driver incentives, especially given that the system is more than 100 drivers short.
"So if it could come faster, like the fast bus, but you need more buses to actually do that, but I know a lot of people don't want to get into this field," Deshawn Goodman, another transit rider, said.
Once DDOT receives all the feedback, they'll look at the plan to see what's realistic, figure out the cost, determine whether they have funding, and create a final plan that would be done in phases.
"Most places they listen to the public for a year, they put something out, and they say this is what it's going to be. We're putting it back out. And we're saying, 'This is what you said, is it right? Did we get it right?' We got information not only from the riders but from our operators. We've gotten information from everybody to try to make sure that the experience on both sides is a positive one," Oglesby said.
The transit director believes they'll have a final plan to execute about four months after they're done gathering public input.