Detroit’s Department of Transportation has 10 new buses in its fleet and expects to get as many more this spring, completing a multi-year effort to replace more than 150 aging coaches.
Monday’s addition will allow the city to decommission buses from 2010 – among the oldest DDOT buses still in service, city officials said.
The new 40-foot coaches, from bus manufacturer New Flyer, will use clean diesel fuel. While the 2010 coaches also used “clean diesel,” the city noted in a news release, the engine technology has improved significantly since then and will mean fewer emissions overall.
“DDOT continues to provide quality, safe, and reliable transit to its riders, and cycling in new coaches plays a large part in that,” DDOT Executive Director of Transit Mikel Oglesby said in a statement.
The new coaches feature bicycle racks, video infotainment, and USB chargers, as well as protective barriers to offer bus operators additional safety on their routes. The cost for each coach was approximately $521,000. Of DDOT’s new buses, 80% are funded through the Federal Transit Administration and 20% from the State of Michigan.
The city added more than two dozen other clean diesel buses with similar amenities for riders last summer. The city also received four electric buses last May as a part of a pilot program to evaluate whether environmentally friendly buses can outperform clean diesel buses.
DDOT is also continuing its efforts to recruit more drivers to offset its chronic driver shortage.
The positions offer competitive salary, health and dental plans, a pension package and more, according to the city. Minimum qualifications include completion of high school or a GED as well as a valid Michigan driver’s license. Click here for more on bus operator salary, benefits and job requirements.