Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and DDOT Director Dan Dirks held a press conference Thursday to announce the arrival of new DDOT buses and a new mobile “DDOT bus” ap.
They showed off the first of 80 new buses scheduled to be delivered this year:
The seven buses are being equipped with security cameras inside and out and will hit the streets in the next two weeks. All of the new coaches will replace older ones that are far beyond their useful lifespan. A much younger fleet means more buses can be stay in service instead of at the repair shop.
“Today DDOT is taking its first real steps toward providing more reliable, convenient and safe service to our passengers,” the Mayor said. “It is critical that we provide a quality public transportation system so Detroiters can access the growing number of opportunities occurring in our city.”
Mayor Duggan and Director Dirks also unveiled a new tool to help bus riders plan their trips and minimize the time they wait at outdoor bus stops:
The new “DDOT Bus” mobile app provides riders who have smart phones the real-time location, movement and arrival time of the next bus at their stop.
The free app (available for Apple through iTunes and for Android mobile devices through Google Play) displays a map showing your location and a bus icon that moves as it approaches your stop with an projected arrival time. To provide the information, the app uses GPS technology that is on every DDOT bus, said Dirks.
“With frigid temperatures now here, we don’t want our customers to stand outside any longer than absolutely necessary,” said Dirks. “This new app will let you stay in your home or any other available location until you see the bus about to arrive. Since we are not yet providing the level of service and keeping the schedule we eventually plan to, this new app will be a great convenience for our customers.”
With the DDOT Bus app on their smart phone, riders will be able to:
- See what time the next bus will arrive at a specific bus stop
- Look on a map and see where the bus is in relation to a specific bus stop
- Tell the route and time the next bus will arrive at a particular bus stop location
- Plan a trip by seeing which buses and transfers to take to get from one location to another
- Send comments and suggestions (including pictures) to DDOT to help improve DDOT service
DDOT riders who do not have smart phones can still use the Text My Bus program to find out when their bus will arrive. This program uses the same GPS technology as the DDOT Bus app to provide the estimated arrival time of the next bus in the form of a text message. Just text your location (major cross streets) to 50464 and follow the prompts to get your specific route and bus information.
Links to DDOT Bus mobile app
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ddot-bus-app/id943066670?mt=8&uo=4
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alesig.wmb&hl=en