Bus service in Detroit, which has been so woefully inadequate for a long time, appears to be taking a step in the right direction.
The Detroit Department of Transportation plans to begin 24-hour service on Saturday for three key bus routes: #21- Grand River; #34-Gratiot and #53-Woodward. DDOT will also implement improvements in other bus schedules as well.
"When DDOT wakes up on Saturday morning, it never goes to bed again," Neil Greenberg, DDOT Manager of Scheduling and Service Development, told Deadline Detroit.
It's been about four years since DDOT ran 24-hour bus routes. Financial problems resulted in reduced bus service.
For the 24-hour bus routes, overnight buses will initially run every hour. Greenberg said DDOT eventually hopes to run buses more frequently overnight, and then add more 24-hour routes in the next year.
DDOT also has plans to implement new schedule times and additional destinations for other buses. And it plans to reconfigure some routes in northeast Detroit and neighboring Harper Woods.
"These service changes come directly from our customers and employees," Dan Dirks, DDOT director, said in a statement. "We received countless requests for better night service, frequent peak-hour service and more reliable schedules."
These changes are listed in a DDOT release:
#16 Dexter: Add trips on Weekday nornings.
#17 Eight Mile: Extend route to start/end at Mack & Moross, with service to Eastland, on all days. New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options and more reliable service.
#18 Fenkell: New schedule on Saturday.
#19 Fort: New schedule on all days to reflect end of long-term construction.
#21 Grand River: Add 24-hour service on all days.
#23 Hamilton: New schedule on all days for more reliable service.
#25 Jefferson: New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options.
#27 Joy: New schedule on all days for more reliable service.
#29 Linwood: Minor schedule adjustments/
#31 Mack: Route travels between Mack & Moross and Rosa Parks Transit Center; use 17 Eight Mile for service to Moross, Kelly and Eastland. New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options and more reliable service.
#32 McNichols: Extend route to start/end at Meijer Old Redford on Saturday and Sunday New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options and more reliable service.
#34 Gratiot: Route travels between 8 Mile & Gratiot and Downtown; use 17 Eight Mile for service to Eastland New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options and more reliable service. Add 24-hour service on all days.
#41 Schaefer: New schedule on all days for more reliable service.
#45 Seven Mile: Extend route to start/end at Meijer Old Redford on all days New schedule on all days for enhanced travel options and more reliable service.
#53 Woodward: New schedule on Sunday for enhanced travel options and more reliable service. Add 24-hour service on all day.
All Other Routes may feature very minor schedule changes (affecting approximately 3 percent of all trips) due to a revised schedule-building method).
