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Transit advocates urge Detroit council to boost DDOT funding amid rider complaints and federal funding uncertainty
Summary
Transit advocates and riders urged Detroit’s City Council to increase funding for the Detroit Department of Transportation, citing evening and weekend reliability problems and urging the council to begin implementing the DDOT Reimagine plan.
Residents and transit advocates used the Third District evening meeting to press Detroit elected officials for larger investments in public transit and more reliable service.
Miguel Cunningham, a longtime bus‑rider advocate who said he distributes hand warmers, gloves and bus tickets to riders, criticized weekend and evening service and urged the council to “ride the buses and talk to the people.” “Detroit Department Transportation is at its worst on the weekends, on after 6PM,” Cunningham said, and he encouraged residents to review DDOT planning materials online.
Renard Rashevsky, who identified himself as a transit organizer and longtime DDOT rider, told the council that the U.S. Department of Transportation had suspended some federal funding and described the suspension as tied to memoranda from the federal administration. Rashevsky said the suspension threatens programs tied to electrification, climate resilience and equity. He urged the City Council to “double down on DDOT” as the city begins budget deliberations and to move toward a world‑class transit system.
Rochelle Stewart, a member of the 12 People’s Platform transit justice team, urged a large, immediate boost to local transit funding and asked the city to begin implementing the DDOT Reimagine plan by increasing budget allocations during this year’s budget process. “We are asking for $150,000,000,” Stewart said, adding that higher wages, more buses and more schedulers are needed to retain staff and increase frequency.
Council President Mary Sheffield responded that the council has received numerous emails about DDOT and that DDOT will appear before the council during upcoming budget deliberations in March.
Why it matters: advocates say unreliable transit affects low‑income riders, seniors and residents who cannot drive. Speakers framed the funding shortfall as both a service‑quality problem and an equity concern. The council will address DDOT funding as part of the city budget process this spring.
What officials said: the council pledged to review DDOT’s budget request during the formal budget calendar and indicated staff and DDOT leadership will brief the council.
