Free DDOT bus rides will continue for Detroit students this school year.
Ride to Rise, which originally kicked off in April as a pilot, allows students, ages 5 to 18 years old, at public, private or charter schools to board Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) free of charge whenever buses are running. The program received $1 million in state funds, Mayor Mary Sheffield said at an Aug. 14 news conference ahead of when schools open up.
“This is not just to get to and from school, but this is also to tutoring, to after-school programs, recreation centers, libraries, jobs and other opportunities throughout the city,” Sheffield said.
Student ridership doubled in the first two months of the program at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
The program is meant to reduce absenteeism and connect students to afterschool programming and internships, officials have said, in a city where more than a third of residents lack reliable transportation. Sheffield said she’s heard from school leaders, families and students about ways to improve the program, including having trusted adults on board to provide more support for students. Safety on buses and at stops has been a concern, and officials had vowed to come up with a way to make students feel more secure.
Working with the Detroit Police Department’s transit unit, neighborhood police officers and bus drivers, the city has tapped 50 transit ambassadors who will ride buses, with students, at peak hours before and after school, according to a news release. On school days, 20 to 25 ambassadors will be on DDOT routes.
“On each of our key routes to schools, these … ambassadors will maintain a highly visible, welcoming presence on board at transit centers and near school bus stops,” said Chanel Hampton, the mayor’s education liaison and senior director of youth and education.
The city also announced a separate ride share pilot for about 150 students at additional high schools — Pershing, Denby, Osborn and East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney. It is expected to run from Aug. 24 through mid-October with $500,000 in funding from the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. The pilot is meant to help students who are unable to get to school or can’t use public transit.
Who is eligible, how students can ride buses
Students can use DDOT city buses any time buses are operating by showing a valid school-issued ID. For more information, go to bit.ly/DetroitRidetoRise.
