DDOT Virtual Community Input Meeting
Detroit Department of Transportation
Transportation
Remote
Zoom link: https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/j/96268082855?pwd=bHNNQVFpZnN3WWZic2o0N1dNY0ltQT09
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Colleen Cirocco
Riders complain about gridlock during the Detroit Marathon; lack of service on nights & weekends; lack of shelters
Live reporting by
Dan Ignacio
Riders complain about gridlock during the Detroit Marathon; lack of service on nights & weekends; lack of shelters
Dan
@civicDetroitDan
Hey hey! At 5 p.m. I’ll live-tweet today’s @RideDDOT Virtual Community Input Meeting for #DETdocumenters. 🧵
Our partners: @DetDocumenters, @media_outlier, @BridgeDet313, @chalkbeatDET, @Detour_Detroit, @freep, @metrotimes, @PlanetDetroit and @wdet.
Our partners: @DetDocumenters, @media_outlier, @BridgeDet313, @chalkbeatDET, @Detour_Detroit, @freep, @metrotimes, @PlanetDetroit and @wdet.
03:51 PM Oct 20, 2022 CDT
Join this meeting online or by phone: detroitmi.gov/events/ddot-vi…
Detroit Documenters will have more notes, recordings and archived documents: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/dd…
📎 Meeting flyer: https://t.co/uXaPVmUjFC
Detroit Documenters will have more notes, recordings and archived documents: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/dd…
📎 Meeting flyer: https://t.co/uXaPVmUjFC
🏃 Need to catch up on DDOT? Our past reporting: detroit.documenters.org/reporting/?age…
Gina McPherson took notes on the last meeting we covered…: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/dd…
And Karen Dybis live-tweeted: twitter.com/KarenDybis/sta…
Gina McPherson took notes on the last meeting we covered…: detroit.documenters.org/assignments/dd…
And Karen Dybis live-tweeted: twitter.com/KarenDybis/sta…
🗞 @BryceHuffman313 recently rode on a DDOT bus with Detroit City Councilperson Latisha Johnson and her staffers, to hear from riders. They complained about long wait times and called for expanded service: bridgedetroit.com/detroits-buses…
In September, SMART introduced four electric buses into service. This comes after DDOT added eight electric buses to its fleet. SMART is also considering hybrid and hydrogen buses. @alexmclenon reported: wdet.org/2022/09/27/sma…
❓ The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) provides public transit within the city, as well as in Hamtramck, Highland Park and some surrounding cities. It is led by Executive Transit Director Mikel Oglesby and overseen by an appointed seven-member Advisory Commission.
🚩 Need visual descriptions? Reply and I’ll provide them to you.
Something inaccurate? Email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.” I’ll add corrections at the end.
See you very soon!
Something inaccurate? Email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.” I’ll add corrections at the end.
See you very soon!
I had to delete a tweet as it contained sensitive information.
The online meeting has been open for a little while now. I think I inadvertently joined too early at 4:15 p.m., when a staffmember asked me to leave and come back later. https://t.co/lGDHbr1wIm
The online meeting has been open for a little while now. I think I inadvertently joined too early at 4:15 p.m., when a staffmember asked me to leave and come back later. https://t.co/lGDHbr1wIm
Ayobami Bell Torrence, DDOT, says the meeting will start at 5:05 p.m. to wait for more attendees to join. Capital Projects Manager Riki Yamakura and sign language interpreters have also joined the meeting.
⌚️ At 5:05 p.m., the meeting begins! Torrence, who is DDOT’s marketing and outreach coordinator, calls the meeting to order. Transit Director Oglesby and other DDOT staffmembers have also joined. https://t.co/dQiHHI3M7r
Staffmembers include: Transit Police Lt. Cross, Executive Development Director Steve Patrinick, Maintenance Manager Geo Joy, Customer Service Supervisor Jasmin Williams, Transdev General Manager Simone Moore.
Torrence reviews some meeting rules. She thanks those who have sent feedback regarding the DDOT Reimagined initiative. She also says that they’ve had a higher number of bus delays in the past few weeks, attributed to labor shortages. … https://t.co/StvJzDj9LC
There are currently 42 prospective bus drivers in training. Torrence shares job opportunities, including paratransit positions.
There are two meetings before November’s Virtual Community Input Meeting. https://t.co/ZXMFZowJOu
There are two meetings before November’s Virtual Community Input Meeting. https://t.co/ZXMFZowJOu
📣 At 5:13 p.m., we proceed to hear public comments!
The first commenter says they experience problems with buses after 6 p.m. Melvin Barkley says they’re working to shift bus operators to increase route coverage.
The first commenter says they experience problems with buses after 6 p.m. Melvin Barkley says they’re working to shift bus operators to increase route coverage.
📣 At 5:13 p.m., we proceed to hear public comments!
The first commenter says they experience problems with buses after 6 p.m. Melvin Barkley says they’re working to shift bus operators to increase route coverage.
The first commenter says they experience problems with buses after 6 p.m. Melvin Barkley says they’re working to shift bus operators to increase route coverage.
Robert, a transit advocate, asks Oglesby if they are interesting in participating in college and high school career events. Oglesby welcomes these opportunities. Robert also fondly recalls hosting an event for DDOT drivers celebrating the agency’s recent anniversary.
Cunningham complains about the MetroLift paratransit service, which requires reservations 24 hours in advance. They want to be able to reserve within three hours. Oglesby says 24 hours is the standard and and this is due to driver availability.
Rochella Stewart, transit advocate with Detroit People’s Platform, asks why bus shelters and seating are being taken down. “Shelters are disappearing without being replaced.” …
Stewart specifically names two bus stops near Grand River at Livernois — the eastbound stop has a shelter, the westbound stop shelter was apparently removed. Steve Patrinick says “we don’t take out shelters just to take them away.” …
Oglesby says that shelter may have been hit by a motor vehicle and they don’t yet have a replacement. He says he looks forward to the bus shelters that will be funded with federal ARPA dollars.
Stewart asks how DDOT trains customer service personnel, especially in regards to paratransit riders. Michael Staley says the new standards will include sensitive training with regards to disabilities. …
Oglesby said they’ve selected three subcontractors (?) through Transdev, trying to clarify some confusion. …
Lastly, Stewart asks if the construction on the State Fair Transit Center is on-time. Oglesby says yes, and teases that DDOT will be “doing something” with the current transit hub. Stewart asks Oglesby to reach out to them and wishes everyone a good night.
⏪ Oglesby also said to look forward to “clean, new standards” on how they train customer service representatives.
Larry Donald, a transit advocate with Detroit People’s Platform, expresses skepticism of the Transdev contract, asking why it had to be a five-year contract. They ask if drivers will receive sensitivity training in addition to customer service representatives. …
Donald says “some drivers seem angry, especially on the Grand River” route.
Barkley says DDOT drivers are finishing their annual sensitivity and deescalation training soon. …
Barkley says DDOT drivers are finishing their annual sensitivity and deescalation training soon. …
Oglesby says he rode the Grand River route and sympathizes with the drivers, but “I’m not making any excuse for the operators.” He emphasizes DDOT’s “customer bill of rights.”
Ogleby defends the five-year Transdev contract, referring to the requirements they’ve included in that contract, such as new vehicles. It was necessary “in order for a company to invest and do everything that we’re asking.”
Steven talks about paratransit operator People’s Express, saying that the company doesn’t “really have experience in urban transit.” They also disapprove of a $10 million amount being invested in a low-income fare study, even though they aren’t opposed to low-income fares. …
Oglesby clarifies that this dollar amount came from an estimated dollar amount in an “old study.” He also says People’s Express “proved that they have the ability to provide the service” required in DDOT’s RFP.
Ingrid Green, executive director of educational nonprofit Drones 4 Girls, wants Detroit high school students to have the opportunity to design a bus shelter. “The might be able to envision some things that maybe we’re not seeing here.” …
Green also says they’ve sent an email to DDOT on this but has not heard a response.
Oglesby says they have two vendors for bus shelters, which have their own designs, but says “I love the idea” of shelters designed by students.
Oglesby says they have two vendors for bus shelters, which have their own designs, but says “I love the idea” of shelters designed by students.
Torrence recites a chat message from Margueritte: This person said she was left behind by a trainee bus driver who did not pull the bus close to the street curb, on the Lodge Service Drive at Grand Boulevard. …
She also says the bus stop on Woodward at Manchester is “dangerous,” saying she saw a someone enter a nearby vacant building.
Stephen, who tried to comment earlier, returns. They appreciate the bike racks installed on buses, now that they bike more. However they ask why DDOT is removing bus shelters. …
They say they’ve been reluctant of picking up late-night work shifts due to the reliability of DDOT’s night service. This commenter cites the increasing gig workforce and their need for late-night service. …
Stephen also says they’ve had issues with the DDOT bus tracker website. …
Oglesby says they are working with their bus tracker vendor to fix issues, saying he has seen “ghost buses,” or buses that disappear from the tracker momentarily. …
He also says night service should be improved after DDOT’s last schedule change. He also reiterates that “we’re not removing any shelters. They’re getting hit.”
Colin says he and other riders were stranded after a service disruption, due to street closures related to the Detroit Free Press Marathon. The driver made riders, including wheelchair users, disembark before entering downtown. …
Colin had to walk and use the MoGo bike share service. Oglesby says this was due to a miscommunication with riders and operators, and says DDOT will investigate.
A call-in commenter, who found this meeting through previous commenter Cunningham, says buses do not run long enough. “I’ve been waiting out for the Hamilton (bus) to Route 23” that is supposed to arrive every hour. …
However, “it’s like they come every two or three hours.” This commenter stresses that “people have stuff to do, doctor’s appointments, jobs and things like that. That (service) makes people late.” Lastly, the commenter says “the younger drivers are more impatient.”
Sheila Dorsey, a DDOT transit equipment operator, likes the motivational messages drivers have received from DDOT. …
However, she talks about “the debacle of the marathon on Sunday. I was in that gridlock stuck for two-and-a-half hours on Grand River.” Dorsey says, “Something happened. The ball was dropped with DPD.”
The Rev. Sheila M. Cook starts out by saying, “They need to cancel that stupid marathon.” She adds, “I’ve been back in Detroit for 15 years. And every year that marathon has caused me problems.” …
Patrinick says marathon organizers gave DDOT “one set of detours, and then, without telling us, they changed it to another set of three closures.” Cook says she will also file a formal complaint against MetroLift.
Transdev General Manager Simone Moore shares the company’s phone number for formal complaints: 313-208-7363.
Margueritte returns to voice a comment. “It is the first marathon after the pandemic and I wish that the media would have done a better job, because there was some miscommunications with DDOT and the marathon coordinators. …
You need to communicate with the media” and through social media platforms. They ask Oglesby to email her for further discussions. …
Oglesby, about the marathon, says, “Unfortunately, we went about our business with the wrong plan.” He says DDOT will need to work closer with Detroit police next time.
Another commenter named Robert, owner of an air purification company, asks about DDOT’s current bus air purification plan. They says they’d like to work with DDOT on the issue. …
Geo Joy says they are considering “a few vendors” currently, with testing on “a couple of our coahces.” DDOT is using an “ionization technique” and they’re testing an air filter system provided by OEM vendors for cost reasons. Oglesby says they aim to install filters on all buses
Norma, transit advocate with Detroit People’s Platform, says they experience “huge delays” on Grand River and Hamilton routes. They also say, “I’ve been experiencing and seeing a lot of rudeness on buses,” calling for better driver training. …
Lastly, Norma asks if there is a policy to let people unable to pay for the fare ride for free. They specifically recall a bus driver “having a bad day” who refused to let an unhoused person ride because they were short one dollar. “I just thought that was so rude.” …
Norma wants a policy where if temperatures drop below 35 degrees, people who cannot pay the fare can ride free.
Tony Vinson says, “We do leave it up to the discretion of the driver, but the expectation is everyone pay their fare.”
Greg, who was also introduced to this meeting by previous commenter Cunningham, says they “can’t take the commute every day” because buses take a long time to arrive.
They also ask if what police is doing with reckless drivers who endanger riders waiting for buses. Oglesby says DPD has a program to stop reckless driving.
That’s it for comments. And now they’re closing the meeting. Stay tuned for screenshots of chat messages!!
⏱ At 6:32 p.m., the meeting adjourns!
Coming up next, DDOT will host the Coolidge Replacement Project Virtual Public Meeting on Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m. I’m unable to find a web page for that meeting, but here’s the project page: detroitmi.gov/departments/de…
Coming up next, DDOT will host the Coolidge Replacement Project Virtual Public Meeting on Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m. I’m unable to find a web page for that meeting, but here’s the project page: detroitmi.gov/departments/de…
That’s my live coverage of this Detroit Department of Transportation Virtual Community Input Meeting. As always, thank you for following along!
For more local meeting coverage, check out Documenters.org. documenters.org
For more local meeting coverage, check out Documenters.org. documenters.org
For alternate coverage, a fellow documenter also live-tweeted this meeting! I love it so much! twitter.com/grenadine/stat…
Read these tweets on Mastodon (@civicDetroitDan@a2mi.social): @civicDetroitDan/109202565467966360' target='_blank'>a2mi.social/@civicDetroitD…
Screenshots of the meeting’s online chat messages will follow below, as well as any corrections. Just give me some time…
Attachments
Agency Information
Detroit Department of Transportation
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) is the largest public transit provider in Michigan that serves the City of Detroit, surrounding suburbs, and neighboring cities, including Highland Park and Hamtramck. DDOT prides itself on providing reliable, clean, safe, and efficient service.
Documents
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