Federal government awards City of Detroit $50 million for new buses

Funding for a dramatically improved Detroit Department of Transportation is now in place, Mayor Mike Duggan announced this week. 

“What DDOT has needed is funding for a complete overhaul: new buses, new terminal, and much better pay for drivers and mechanics.  In just the last month, the last pieces fell into place with the help of Governor Whitmer and President Trump,” Mayor Duggan told the assembled group of Detroit Department of Transportation leadership and employees, City Council members and transit advocates. 

Standing inside the $160 million Coolidge Terminal, which will open this spring, the Mayor described how major federal and state funding announcements in the last few weeks have made the complete rebuild of DDOT possible.

What’s happening: 

• 53 New Buses from Trump administration grant: The Federal Transit Authority announced recently that Detroit had been awarded a $50 million FTA grant to purchase 53 new buses, one of its largest grants ever. Those buses will be in addition to 76 buses added over the last two years paid for with Biden administration grants, bringing Detroit’s total new bus purchases to 129, or 44% of the entire fleet. The new fleet will be housed in large part in the Coolidge Terminal, built on the site of old terminal that had been destroyed in a fire in 2011. It was funded largely through federal grants under the Biden administration.

• Pay raises for mechanics finalized: DDOT mechanics, represented by AFSCME Local 312, last week ratified a new contract raising the top mechanic wage from $26 an hour to $34.50 an hour. DDOT mechanics will now be paid a wage competitive with the rest of the market, allowing DDOT to address the chronic backlog in bus repairs. Funding for the mechanics’ raises came from Governor Whitmer’s successful package of the state transportation package last month. DDOT drivers last month also received a $6 an hour pay increase as a result of the new state transportation packages. DDOT driver vacancies are rapidly being filled, including by many former drivers returning to DDOT because of the higher pay. 

Why it’s important

Executive Director of Transit Robert Cramer said the 129 new buses will be what DDOT riders notice the most.  “Our riders are well aware of the struggles of our aging fleet. With last week’s federal grant award, DDOT will soon have the most modern bus fleet in the United States.”

“This is a good day for DDOT riders, transit advocates and DDOT employees,” said AFSCME Local 312 President Muneer Islam. “The new mechanics contract, along with the new Coolidge terminal, will do a lot to inspire and motivate our maintenance employees of DDOT.”

What they’re saying

“The complete rebuild of Detroit was a $250 million 5-year project,” Duggan said.  “But with last week’s announcements, DDOT’s future is the brightest it has been in decades. Mayor‑elect Mary Sheffield said, “This is a turning point for Detroit transit. By investing in new buses, a modern terminal, and fair wages for our drivers and mechanics, we are building a DDOT system that our city can depend on for decades to come,” said Mayor‑elect Mary Sheffield.

Source: City of Detroit