When Andy Didorosi opened the newspaper in January and discovered that Detroit had axed plans to build a light rail system, he was deeply disappointed. He’d been hoping the new railway would rejuvenate his city, which has suffered decay, poverty, crime and joblessness since the decline of the automobile industry. “Public transport is ineffective and underfunded,” says the 25-year-old entrepreneur. “Buses take forever. They’re very slow, and connections are horrible.”
A group of politicians and business people had drawn up extensive plans for the new rail system, but the city council canceled them, citing fears that costs would run out of control. Frustrated, Didorosi thought, “You know what? I’ll do it myself.” He bought two old school buses and started the Detroit Bus Company in April. Now the vehicles ferry people from the suburbs to downtown and back on weekend nights.
Didorosi says he’s noticed his friends and fellow residents going out on the town less often over the past few years: “They’d like to have a beer, so they can’t take the car. Others don’t have a car, or they’d just like to go to a sports event or a -concert without -having to worry about -parking. Some also would like to take the bus to work.” Since the -Detroit Bus -Company began operating, about 100 people have used it every night. Didorosi says he’s already ordered two new buses and is dreaming of a transportation revolution in the city.
It’s hard to run a public transport system profitably—that’s why many are state-sponsored—but Didorosi says he believes the Detroit Bus Company can do things differently. He’s designed a cell phone app that lets people see exactly where a bus is. It even allows them to contact the vehicle, so it can divert from its route to pick them up. Didorosi hopes the feature will bring in more business.
He’s got plenty of other plans, too. Under the upcoming WeRide program, for every $5 bus ticket sold, he’ll give a cash-strapped city resident a free trip to work on a -forthcoming weekday service. “It’s already hard enough to find a job here,” Didorosi says. “I wish people wouldn’t have to worry anymore about how to get there.”
Find out more: thedetroitbus.com
