DDOT Reimagined

DDOT Reimagined is a bold new vision for public mobility in Detroit and we are excited to share it with you. It is a three-part plan to be implemented in the coming years and includes:

• A Service Plan that connects people with opportunities 24/7, allows for travel at the customer’s convenience, and builds a new generation of Detroit transit riders.
• A Capital Plan for zero-emission buses (ZEBs), enhanced corridors, mobility hubs, bus shelters, and other amenities.
• An Operating Plan that meets customer expectations and provides a positive workplace, delivering world-class bus transit every day.

A bold renaissance is underway in the City of Detroit, creating new opportunities across all facets of life: housing, education, jobs, healthcare, shopping, and recreation. Sharing in this renaissance requires equitable access to all of these opportunities. High-quality mobility is essential for connecting people with opportunities. This is a unique opportunity to rethink bus service in Detroit and identify how the network can better serve the community in the future.

DDOT undertook a deep-dive analysis to understand what’s working with the current network, what needs improvement, and how people travel in the City of Detroit and surrounding communities served by DDOT. These findings, combined with community input, were used to identify implementable recommendations for a new system that better meets the City’s mobility needs.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the proposed changes.

In the spring and summer of 2022, DDOT held public meetings and pop-up events for riders to learn more about our customers and their mobility needs. We also conducted a survey asking people about the types of improvements they would like to see in DDOT bus service. The survey collected over 800 responses from around the DDOT service area. Key findings from the survey and community conversations include:

• More reliable service - Detroiters need a bus system they can depend on every day of the year. We have designed a system that can be operated efficiently and we will add more service as we hire and train the bus operators needed to drive it. The schedule is our promise and aim to deliver all of the service every day.
• More frequent service - Most of today's DDOT routes only come every 30 or 60 minutes, limiting when transit riders can travel and how quickly they get to their destination. We have designed a system with 10-minute service on the most important routes and an expanded network of 15-minute routes.
• More regional connections - We know that Detroiters' travel does not end at the city limits and neither should DDOT. We have designed a system that strengthens connections to Dearborn and other communities outside Detroit. We are also working with  SMART  and the  Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA)  to rethink regional mobility and better integrate DDOT and SMART in the future.

• Phase I – In-person and virtual meetings, pop-ups at bus stops and hubs, stakeholder and advocate workshops (Spring-Summer 2022)
• Phase II – Sharing Draft Plan with community at pop-up events, public meetings, and stakeholder and advocate roundtables (Spring 2023)
• Phase III – Public hearing for the Final Plan (Summer/Fall 2023)

The DDOT Reimagined Draft Plan includes a lot of new changes intended to improve the customer experience and make riding the bus attractive to more people for more purposes.

Click and drag the slider back and forth to see the change between the Existing 2023 network and the DDOT Reimagined Draft Plan. Click the icon in the bottom left of the map to open an explanation of the different route colors.

The Draft Plan greatly increases frequency across the network, adding more service to every route on weekdays and Sundays, and nearly every route on Saturdays.

Weekday Network

Only seven routes currently operate every 20 minutes or better on weekdays. The Draft Plan increases that to 17 routes. No route will operate less often than every 30 minutes. The Draft Plan also expands the number of routes, riders, residents, and jobs with access to all-day frequent service (20 minutes or better).

Click and drag the slider back and forth to see the change in frequent weekday routes between the Existing 2023 network and the DDOT Reimagined Draft Plan.

Weekend Network

Only one route (4 Woodward) operates every 20 minutes or better on weekends. The Draft Plan increases this to 10 routes. Weekend travel is just as important as weekday mobility, and these frequency improvements will make the DDOT network more attractive to more riders outside of the journey to work or other weekday-destinations.

Click and drag the slider back and forth to see the change in frequent weekend routes between the Existing 2023 network and the DDOT Reimagined Draft Plan.

The Draft Plan also expands service hours across the network, starting earlier in the morning and ending later at night to give riders more flexibility in their travel options. Additionally, all regular routes will have standardized hours of service to make travel easier and more predictable for riders.

• All Tier 1 routes will operate 24/7.
• Some Tier 2 routes will operate 24/7 and others will operate from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week.
• All Tier 3 routes will operate from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. (Service on the proposed shuttle route between Belle Isle, Downtown, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge multiuse path will be tailored to meet seasonal demand and operate during hours that these destinations are open.)

The Draft Plan enhances access to key transfer points and hubs such as Fairlane Town Center, Mack & Moross, and Old Redford Meijer. The Plan introduces new transit connections to both Livonia Walmarts, Lincoln Park, Belle Isle Beach, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge multiuse path.

The Draft Plan also greatly increases access to frequent transit (buses every 20 minutes or better).

• 72% of current riders are within a 5-minute walk (quarter mile) of a CURRENT frequent route. (77% within a 10-minute walk, or half mile.)
• Under the PROPOSED network, 85% percent of riders will have access to a frequent route within a 5-minute walk. (88% within a 10-minute walk.

• 28% of the service area population is within a 5-minute walk of a CURRENT frequent bus route. (48% are within a 10-minute walk of a frequent route.)
• Under the PROPOSED network, 56% of the population will be within a 5-minute walk of a frequent route. (83% will be within a 10-minute walk of a frequent route.)

• 57% of service area jobs are within a 5-minute walk of a CURRENT frequent route. (73% are within a 10-minute walk.)
• Under the PROPOSED network, 73% of service area jobs will be within a 5-minute walk of a frequent route. (87% will be within a 10-minute walk of a frequent route.)

The percent of people and jobs within a short walk of any route declines slightly in the Draft Plan due to consolidation of several low-ridership routes and recommended discontinuation of unproductive segments. However, 99% of current riders will still be within a 5-minute walk of the DDOT network.

Please click the link below to learn about the detailed changes for each route.

DDOT will be holding pop-up events and meetings this spring to share the Draft Plan in person. Be on the lookout for the DDOT Reimagined bus at a stop near you! Come on board to say “Hi” and learn more about our plan. 

After we finish our public outreach events and collecting online feedback, we will take what we learned and update the plan. We will present the final DDOT Reimagined at a public hearing later this year.

Implementation of the new network will come in phases as DDOT hires and trains more bus operators. We are committed to improving service reliability, improving frequency, and rolling out the enhanced transit corridors in the coming years.