Popular Detroit Shuttle Service for Seniors, Residents with Disabilities to End
In an unexpected development, a widely appreciated transportation service offering complimentary rides to senior residents and individuals with disabilities in Detroit is approaching its conclusion. Known as Accessibili-D, this shuttle service commenced as a pilot initiative set for a one-year duration, is set to wind down by the end of June. This announcement leaves many habitual users pondering over their future mobility solutions.
For many residents, including Loray Curenton and Sharon Aquil, Accessibili-D has been a dependable fixture in their daily lives. Curenton noted its vital importance, sharing, “It takes me to the grocery store. It takes me to the doctor,” underscoring the shuttle’s role in facilitating essential travel.
Functioning akin to popular rideshare applications, Accessibili-D catered to residents aged 62 and older or those experiencing disabilities, enabling them to schedule rides directly from their homes to key destinations. Sharon Aquil, a regular user, leveraged the service for trips to the pharmacy, hospital, and grocery store, illustrating its significant impact.
As the pilot project draws near its end, participants have been informed that the service will be terminating by the end of June. The impending discontinuation has raised concerns among its users. Sherry Moore, one such user, voiced her apprehension, saying, “It will be hard. Got to get out on this bus. As a person with disabilities like myself, it will be hard.”
To address these concerns, officials are actively working to assist residents in finding alternative transportation solutions. The Chief of Mobility Innovation for Detroit, Tim Slusser, reassured the community by stating, “We’re working with those riders to provide them with all of the resources that we have here at the City of Detroit to try and fill their transportation needs.”
The city is investing efforts in gathering critical data to evaluate how autonomous transportation technologies might be integrated into Detroit’s transit framework. Discussions are underway with the Detroit Department of Transportation to consider issuing a Request for Proposals to develop an innovative solution that could potentially replace or enhance current options.
Amidst the uncertainty, there persists a silver lining of hope among users like Curenton. Expressing optimism, Curenton suggested, “They need to come up with another route similar to this one, so that people can go back and forth.”
City officials are dedicated to ensuring Accessibili-D users are well-informed about their choices. In early June, they intend to provide further details, equipping users with information to navigate possible alternatives as the pilot program concludes.
The phasing out of Accessibili-D underscores the complex challenge of addressing urban transportation needs, especially for vulnerable populations reliant on efficient and accessible transit services. As Detroit navigates this transition, the collective hope is that efforts to innovate transit options will lead to more robust, inclusive, and reliable solutions for all city residents.
