Five Detroit mayoral candidates outlined their vision for public transportation during a mobility forum at Newlab.
Candidates discussed the future of the city’s bus system, the importance of reliable transit for business recruitment, how they would coordinate regional partnerships, secure funding for new projects and improve the overall perception of public transit. The event was moderated by BridgeDetroit Executive Advisor Stephen Henderson.
Residents have been consistently vocal about improving public transit, recognizing that roughly a third of Detroiters lack safe and reliable transportation.
None of the candidates who participated envision a future where the Detroit Department of Transportation is dissolved, but they are open to exploring partnerships with the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan and consolidating services where it makes sense.
Thursday’s event was the first 2025 mayoral forum focused on transportation issues. Transportation Riders United and other advocacy groups will host another on June 4 at the Wayne State Industry Innovation Center.
There are nine candidates on the 2025 primary ballot, including:
- Businessman Jonathan Barlow
- Former Police Chief James Craig
- City Council Member Fred Durhal III
- Businessman Joel Haashiim
- Former council member and nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins
- Rev. Solomon Kinloch
- Attorney Todd Perkins
- City Council President Mary Sheffield
- DaNetta Simpson, a two-time mayoral candidate
Rogelio Landin is also running as a write-in candidate. He was among five mayoral hopefuls who participated in the forum; Barlow, Durhal, Jenkins and Perkins.
Here’s what each of the candidates said (in alphabetical order):
Jonathan Barlow
Barlow, a venture capitalist, tech entrepreneur and political agent, tried to set himself apart from others on the stage, repeatedly calling himself the “only innovative candidate” in the race.
“The experience I bring to this position is just different,” Barlow said. “It’s just so extensive and diverse.”
He said transit improvements should consider the final leg of a person’s journey, often called “the last mile” by transit advocates. Traveling from a bus stop to the final destination can be more difficult than riding the bus itself, Barlow said.
“Just because it gets you into the area does not mean you get home safely,” Barlow said.
Several candidates said the city’s real-time bus tracker can be inaccurate, and Barlow said the city’s entire website needs upgrading to address accessibility and functionality problems.
Barlow said there should be a strategy to help unhoused people who shelter at the Rosa Parks Transit Center. The City Council, in the latest fiscal budget, recommended installing a community service coordinator at the downtown transit hub.
Barlow reflected on using the bus system to attend college at Wayne State. He claimed other candidates don’t have experience riding the bus, which was quickly shot down by his opponents.
If elected, Barlow said he would meet with the superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District on his first day. He also claimed to have “the most relationships” with City Council candidates and expects to have a good relationship with the council.
Fred Durhal III
The city council member and former lawmaker wants to create a regional transit system based in Detroit, emphasizing a need for more investment and partnerships with neighboring communities.
He envisions a future where Detroit is connected to Ann Arbor and other cities by train.
Durhal highlighted his work as chair of the council’s budget committee to secure $2.7 million in additional funding for DDOT in the upcoming budget year. Most of the funding, $2 million total, will go toward creating new bus shelters.
“The average wait times on routes that are on main streets and corridors are close to 30 to 45 minutes,” Durhal said. “That means that if you are going to be at work at one time, you have to be at that stop for more than an hour. You may be at a stop, rain, sleet or snow, where there’s no shelter.”
Durhal sponsored a $675,000 investment in new bus seats after hearing riders complain of acquiring bed bugs. The DDOT budget increased by $20 million, for a total of $209 million.
“The funding is still not enough,” Durhal said. “As we talk to our advocates, as we look at other cities and municipalities around this country, we’re behind on transit funding.”
Durhal pitched a future “hybrid” partnership with the RTA, which operates a suburban bus system with routes in the city. He said the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) is a major employer, so it will require careful consideration to coordinate ways to share costs and coordinate routes.
But Durhal said Detroit’s infrastructure is not ready for regional transit and the city needs to maintain a level of autonomy until then.
Most transit funding comes from the federal government, and Durhal predicted a “slow down” in support from federal and state sources. That’s why Durhal said he wants to explore cost-sharing measures with regional partners in Oakland and Macomb counties.
“I’ve already had conversations with Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel about how we bring regional transit into the city,” Durhal said.
Durhal said his administration would execute DDOT Reimagined, a long-term plan to increase frequency on bus routes, boost ridership and improve the overall experience. Durhal said he agrees with transit advocates that the plan won’t work without more investment.
Paying drivers competitive wages was a common theme throughout the event. Durhal said the city needs to make smart investments in transit operators.
Saunteel Jenkins
The former Heat and Warmth Fund CEO and City Council president wants to put a transit center in each council district and add variety to the types of buses out on the street.
“We should have a combination of traditional buses and shuttles that go shorter routes,” Jenkins said. “You need transportation hubs around the city, not just Rosa Parks Transit Center, that can fulfill the needs of people throughout the city.”
Jenkins said she recently took a bus ride with transit advocates, and the first coach was 40 minutes late. It showed her the importance of increasing the number of buses on routes, as well as the number of routes themselves. Jenkins said Detroit bus drivers and mechanics are underpaid, and increasing wages could help put more buses on the road.
“I don’t know how you can take the bus to school every day and get there on time every day,” Jenkins said.
She said public officials need to show non-riders that the bus can be convenient and safe, not something that’s only reserved for people who can’t afford a car.
“If we can change the culture around it, we’ll get more ridership, which increases revenue,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said merging DDOT with the RTA is complicated, so she would like to find ways to coordinate cost-saving measures before fully consolidating the two systems. But Detroiters should always come first, she said.
“We can coordinate routes so we don’t have a regional bus riding down Woodward next to a DDOT bus,” Jenkins said.
Rogelio Landin
Landin, a community activist and businessman, is running as a write-in candidate after failing to collect enough nominating petition signatures to make the primary ballot.
Landin said Detroit could acquire more revenue for transit investments if it grows its population. He said the city has lost an average of 18,000 people per year since 1975, and though the population slightly grew from 2022-23, Detroit lacks a real plan to add residents.
Landin wants to annex 28 neighboring communities to expand the city and get back to 1 million people.
“The bottom line is this: We need to pool our resources to make them more efficient, to be more effective in making our region more competitive in moving our workforce,” Landin said. “It’s time to revisit annexation.
Landin said the Great Lakes Water Authority and Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau are examples of successful regional authorities. He wants to explore more regional partnerships for transit, but also acknowledged it will involve complex considerations.
Todd Perkins
The Detroit attorney and government counselor said he’s distrustful of authorities that have stripped power from the city to make decisions on behalf of residents. He said DDOT needs flexibility to adjust bus routes along new developments or in response to neighborhood changes.
But Perkins also acknowledged it will take public-private partnerships and funding from state and federal sources to create something more ambitious, like a rail line.
Perkins recalled riding the bus to school every day, navigating route schedules and avoiding certain bus stops where people had been bullied or robbed. He said DDOT needs to prioritize making riders feel safe.
Infrastructure improvements should also come before focusing on “micro-mobility” options like bike shares.
Perkins said “collegiality” among metro Detroit communities is needed to bridge social, racial and political divides that have long separated them on addressing shared transit problems.
“I do recall an instance where Livonia did not want (regional) bus service because they didn’t want Detroiters in their community,” Perkins said. “I don’t think annexation and merging our communities is a reality.”