Starting this weekend, there’s a new transit option for people looking to get around downtown Detroit.
A new, private bus company is looking to fill in some of the gaps in Detroit’s battered transit system.
The Detroit Bus Company will run a route linking the city’s central neighborhoods and Southwest Detroit on Saturday. Historically, that relatively small area hasn’t been linked very well by traditional public transit.
Bus Company founder Andy Didorosi says they’ll launch a route with stops at a few gathering places.
"We’re operating as a private shuttle, between places of interest," Didorosi said. "Basically bars, restaurant, venues…different locations at the city that people naturally congregate at.”
But Didorosi says that for every rider on the company’s downtown loop, they’ll extend a free bus ride to an area hit by Detroit’s public transit cutbacks.
“For every seat purchased on our downtown loop, our private rentals or our tours, we’re gonna give someone a ride on a free bus that goes to the neighborhoods that really need it," Didorosi said.
Didorosi hopes the Bus Company should start regularly running weekend routes soon. Eventually, he hopes to expand to full-time service.
