Detroiters to lose early morning bus service

[Bozita]

FEBRUARY 15, 2012 AT 7:32 PM
Detroiters to lose early morning bus service
BY TOM GREENWOOD THE DETROIT NEWS


Detroit plans to discontinue bus service from 1-4 a.m. each day as a part of extensive cuts that will eliminate routes, trim others and extend the wait times between buses.

The Detroit Department of Transportation will hold two public meetings Feb. 24 to explain that staff and service reductions are needed to save the cash-strapped city about $11 million.

-snip-

The elimination of service from 1-4 a.m. will affect 500 customers over nine routes, representing .5 percent of DDOT's daily riders, but 6 percent of its daily costs, the city estimates. Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, which works to improve and promote mass transit in the Metro area, is outraged by looming cutbacks.

"They have new buses coming in, but will they have any routes left for those new buses?" Owens said. "We have cutbacks and our buses are consistently overcrowded. My bus this morning was so overpacked that it left dozens of passengers on the side of the road.

-snip-

more...
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120215/METRO05/202150430/1361/Detroiters-to-lose-early-morning-bus-service

[kestrel91316]

1. Expect a certain percentage of those who would have used those buses to

die of exposure now, or be vulnerable to assault/murder while out walking.

Way to go!! This is what happens when government is small enough to drown in a bathtub.

[christx30]

3. I don't think

it's a matter of the size of government here. Detroit lost a lot of auto manufacturing jobs. Less jobs in an area equals less tax money going to the city. If 100 people are paying $100 each, you have $10,000 per year. If you lose 30 people, the rest are only paying in $7000 a year. The city has to make due with less money. Detroit needs to attract businesses and manufacturing to the area again, or it's going to continue to circle the drain. As of last year, the population of Detroit fell to 713,000. Unless you get more people into the area, you're going to get less taxes paid to the city. Simple as that. Attract business, attract jobs, attract people. Simple as that.

[CreekDog]

4. how will this attract businesses and jobs?

you have low paid workers that won't be able to get to work.

[christx30]

5. This bus issue

won't fix anything. This isn't anything more than a short term solution to the budget problem. Attracting businesses and jobs is the cure for the disease. This is like taking tylenol for a cancer related headache. And this will probably make the situation worse.
What Detroit needs is new money and new jobs coming in, that people can earn and pay out in taxes. Needs industry to come back to American shores. How are we going to make that happen? That's for a pay grade way over mine. But the city needs warm bodies. People have left because there are no jobs, and there is too much crime. I read one article that the cops no longer try to stop crime. They are just there to clean up afterwards. It's a very sad way for this one great city to go out.

[Scootaloo]

6. Business won't come in until the unions are dead

and the people of Detroit are willing to work for ten bucks a day.

Welcome to being a hostage of the "free" market.

[fascisthunter]

2. Shrinking government... congrats right wingers

you stupid fuckers