Detroit's bus performance failed to improve in 2023
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Detroit buses' on-time performance has remained flat despite hopes for improvement, but the city's department of transportation insists next year will be different.
Why it matters: Reliability is a consistent concern for city bus riders, partly due to a shortage of drivers.
Driving the news: Performance data shows 63% of weekday buses in October were on time, the exact same percentage as the same month of 2022.
Flashback: When Axios asked last year, the city predicted 85% of buses would be on time by the end of 2023.
Reality check: The rate has hovered in the low to mid-60s all year — below the industry standard of 75%-80%.
Be smart: Buses are considered "on time" if they arrive between one minute early and five minutes late.
What they're saying: Buses understandably get thrown off schedule occasionally, particularly if riders need assistance getting on board, Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, tells Axios.
- But Detroit's performance should be better, she says.
- "Something in the 60s isn't good."
The other side: The Detroit Department of Transportation "will be intensifying its efforts and refining its processes throughout 2024 to improve its on-time performance," interim director Michael Staley tells Axios.
- The department fell short of its goal to have 500 drivers on staff this year.
- But Staley says reinforcements are on the way — he expects 600 to join by September.
What we're watching: DDOT is in a leadership transition.
- Staley took over when former executive director Mikel Oglesby resigned in August.