Tell DDOT How to Best Spend $51,000,000!

Update: Thank you to everyone who joined our discussion with DDOT about prioritizing federal funding! More than 50 people participated. Director Oglesby very much appreciated all of the input, ideas, suggestions, and support offered through both verbal and text feedback. Stay tuned for details about how he incorporates our recommendations into DDOT’s investment priorities!


A flyer for TRU and DDOT's April 6 event at 6pm on Zoom. Bit.ly/DDOTARPA is the link. The image has a green background with a green DDOT bus.

Thanks to advocacy from TRU and supporters like you nationwide, the American Rescue Plan Act passed last year provided funding specifically to restore and improve public transit!

The City of Detroit received $51 million explicitly to restore and improve public transit.  And you’re invited to help them decide how to spend it!!

Join us tonight at 6pm on Zoom for a discussion with Detroit’s Director of Transit Mikel Oglesby as he shares what the money can and can’t be spent on and his ideas for priority DDOT improvements.

Then tell him what you what you think about those ideas and any other ideas you may have.  

Together we’ll help DDOT shape this once-in-a-generation investment to best benefit bus rider and the overall Detroit community!

Register Now for Tonight’s DDOT ARPA meeting.

This is the third round of federal funding – the first two were focused on enabling DDOT and other agencies to keep functioning through the pandemic, since so many of the essential workers we all depend on depend on transit. Detroit used those funds to install shields around drivers, distribute masks, do extra bus sanitation, provide hazard pay, provide a year of fare-free service. 

The meeting will present possibilities and ask which things you most want to see, and which ones are lower priority for you.

One thing we encourage you to mention: The full $51m should go to transit!


These ARPA funds are specifically for restoring and improving bus service.  Yet Detroit’s budget department wants to take $10 million of these scarce funds to fill in budget holes! Transit has been underfunded in this region for so long, we need every dime of those funds to fix transit problems – like broken bus shelters, missing seats, unsafe crossings, and out-of-date payment options. 

If you agree, take a minute to email YourBudget@DetroitMI.gov and tell them to NOT take $10 million from DDOT’s ARPA funds. Tell the Mayor and Council too, if you have a chance!