DRASTIC DETROIT BUS CUTS FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED; HEARINGS FEB. 24; DETAILS INCLUDING LINKS TO ROUTE CHANGES BELOW

Detroit’s Early-Morning Bus Service Faces Cuts: MyFoxDETROIT.com

By Diane Bukowski

February 16, 2012

DETROIT — Fliers have been circulating around the city for the last month asking Detroiters to take up the fight against bus cuts that were planned for Feb. 24.

VOD broke the story in a thorough article Feb. 9. (To read, click on: http://voiceofdetroit.net/2012/02/09/bing-to-slash-bus-routes-d-dot-jobs-feb-24-contractor-gets-big/. In addition to the cuts, the article focused on the management contract Mayor Dave Bing awarded to contractor Parsons/Brinckerhoff, which subcontracted to Envisurage, whose CEO is Mark Aesch. 

Mark Aesch

According to Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International officials, quoted in the article, Aesch was a vicious boss, serving as CEO of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority from 2004 through 2011. A PB/E work order (copy included in earlier VOD article) said he is moving to cut D-DOT city jobs and regionalize transportation.

Mayor Bing’s press representative did not see fit to respond to VOD press inquiries, but COO Chris Brown finally acknowledged the cuts to the Detroit News, saying they will involve:

• Discontinuing bus service from 1-4 a.m.
• Route 11/Clairmount weekend service only will be discontinued.
• Route 46/Southfield Sunday service will be discontinued.
• Eliminate Route 78/Imperial Express.
• Route 49/Vernor service will end at the Rosa Parks Terminal in downtown Detroit.

ATU Local President Henry Gaffney addresses 2009 public hearing on bus cuts

According to DDOT, the elimination of service from 1-4 a.m. will save only 6 percent of its daily costs. Brown declined to tell the News about specific staff cuts.

The cuts are to begin March 3 instead of Feb. 24 as originally planned.

Public hearings: FRIDAY FEB. 24, 2012

• Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m.;
• East-side Wayne County Community College (at Interstate 94), 5901 Conner, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.  

A service document detailing all changes and route alternatives can be obtained from the following locations on or after Friday:

• DDOT main office, strategic planning/scheduling, 1301 E. Warren
• Detroit Public libraries
• Community access centers
• Online at www.ridedetroittransit.com. Click on

Occupy Detroit is currently considering protests against these cuts. Stay tuned to Voice of Detroit at http://voiceofdetroit.net for coverage of hearings and announcement of protests, plus financial analysis of the problem.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder hugs Mayor Dave Bing as he presents Damon Keith award to him Feb. 14

D-DOT gets most of its funding from the state and federal governments, and has 16 new buses paid for by USDOT funds in its terminals. It is likely Aesch is moving to takeover D-DOT and SMART, as advocated by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and establish an authority like RGRTA, at the same time reaping the benefits of state and federal funding.

Snyder gave Mayor Bing the Damon Keith award Feb. 14, indicating opposition to regionalization cannot be expected from Bing.

On February 16, the date listed on D-DOT’s website for its regular monthly “customer comments” meeting, D-DOT riders including several in wheelchairs took city buses to get to the hearing, scheduled for 5 p.m. They were greeted by a notice on the headquarters door that the hearing was canceled, to be replaced with the Feb. 24 hearings.

What would Rosa Parks do?

“I walked all the way from Woodward and Warren to be at the meeting on time,” said D. Griggs, who regularly attends the meetings. “No notices went out that the meeting was canceled. Here we are a week before the cuts are supposed to go into effect, and I haven’t seen anybody mobilize to stop them or offer alternatives. D-DOT is part of the city’s charter, they should not be eliminating it by regionalization.”

Emily Harris has been wheel-chair bound for many years. Referring to friends she brought with her, including another man who is in a wheelchair, she said they are already experiencing terrible service.

“We waited on the Woodward bus for hours. At least four buses passed us up before one stopped and the driver asked the passengers to make room for the wheelchairs. My housekeeper can’t make it on time from where she lives in Hamtramck to my home.”

Antonius Whitley added, “What about the people who go to work on Saturday and Sunday? I have to start from John R and Dequindre. The buses at Woodward and the Fairgrounds are already packed when they leave. People have to squeeze together, and then buses come back to back four at a time.

The mainstream media did not announce the cancellation of the Feb. 16 meeting when it covered the cuts and announced the Feb. 24 meeting.

DDOT customers who showed up for the canceled hearing Feb. 16; (l to r) Emily Harris, Antonius Whitley, D. Griggs, Ella Sanders and William Estell