DDOT To Resume Bus Fares, Increases Bus Capacity

DETROIT — Detroit Department of Transportation buses will begin collecting fares on March 15 after the agency announced Wednesday it was increasing safety measures as well as capacity amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Drivers and riders will be separated by barriers and hand sanitizing machines and visual social distancing cues will all be in place on DDOT coaches, officials said Wednesday. DDOT will also increase its maximum occupancy on buses to 20 passengers for standard buses and 26 passengers on an articulated bus, as recommended by the Detroit Health Department.

DDOT suspended fare collection in March in what the agency said was an attempt to limit exposure between coach operators and riders in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic.

In late 2020, DDOT began installing permanent barriers next to the driver’s seat to separate and reduce air exchange between drivers and passengers. Earlier this year, they started an operator vaccination program.

Several safety measures remain in place on DDOT buses; riders are required to wear a mask covering their mouth and nose, according to a federal mask mandate for transit systems that went into effect last month. Masks are also required at bus stops and in any transportation building, officials said. Riders must remain 6 feet from the driver at all times.