Every day, transit activist Michael Cunningham sees first-hand how Detroit’s bus system causes problems for residents.
Cunningham has become an effective advocate for transit users and unhoused residents over the last decade, partly by inviting public officials and political candidates to ride city buses and his private taxi van. His next goal is to bring all 2026 Michigan gubernatorial candidates on the bus.
He’s out on the streets regularly giving away donated hand warmers and essential winter gear to Detroiters waiting for buses across the city.
All of his efforts are funded through donations; Cunningham said $13 can buy a box of hand warmers that helps 60 people. Cunningham has a Patreon page and accepts donations through Cash App at (313) 444-9114 or $5555555Love.
“I was homeless for 10 years and I remember the value of a hand warmer,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham invited me to ride with him on a snowy Tuesday. We spent two hours talking with residents who had two things in common: They believe the bus service is unreliable and they didn’t vote in the 2025 election.
“These politicians know that bus riders don’t vote, so we have to lean on karma and good energy and reaping what we sow,” Cunningham said. “It’s like any other poor person. They don’t think it works. They tried it before and didn’t get nothing.’
Tawana Towles flagged Cunningham down on Woodward Avenue and hired him to pick up her granddaughter from school and take them home in the Midwest-Tireman neighborhood. Towles said the engine went out on her van, and it would cost $3,000 to replace, leaving her reliant on a bus system that’s late nearly every day.
Anthony Moore said he was homeless for two decades and became experienced in sleeping through bitter cold. Moore said the city needs to open more overnight shelters in the winter and donate sleeping bags to people who have nowhere to go.
“The rich came downtown and the developments came down here and put all this money down here,” Moore said. “They didn’t put any funding to help those people that they displaced.”
Cunningham said transit activists scored a lot of wins in 2025: Bus drivers and mechanics received a pay raise, the Department of Transportation budget was increased and the city received funding for new buses. Their goal for the future is to double the DDOT budget.
DDOT has also added new bus shelters, replaced aging shelters and increased frequency of several major routes in the last year.
I love this story about Detroit resident Michael Cunningham and Towanna Towels. Helping Detroiters and providing feedback on what Detroiters needs at this period of time. Not for some but what do everyone need here. There’s been many people who are left displaced. And without the help they desperately need. Just displaced and left behind.
Cunningham is a blessing.
It seems like the colder it gets the slower the bus gets and they got a raise me personally have seen bus drivers in the transit downtown sit on the bus and leave people outside in the cold while waiting to depart. It’s a shame how our people do.
Help him y’all???
“Do not touch My ( Cunningham ) anointed ones; do My prophets no harm” (NKJV) 🔥🔥🔥
Ecclesiastes 9:15
New International Version
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise (Brother Cunningham) , and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.
Proverbs 14:31 Those who oppress the ( Brother Cunningham) poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honor him.
!!Proverbs is the book of wisdom!!
Good karma over Cunningham.
Praying good karma over Cunningham.
None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up
by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody –
a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns –
bent down and helped us pick up our boots.
Thurgood Marshall
Help Cunningham help people?????