Detroit Mayor Dave Bing promises to do whatever it takes to get buses back on the street

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Saying that nothing is off the table, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has pledged to do what is needed to get DDOT buses back on the street.

During an evening press conference, Bing flat out said “I’ll do whatever it takes to get the necessary buses on the streets.

The mayor says they need to come up with a solution in the next 30 days. However, while Bing promised that riders will see “progress” soon, he said the “broken system” will not be fixed in the next 30 days.

The news conference came after an afternoon meeting between Bing and DDOT management and union leadership. He called the meeting positive and construction. However, he also said “I made it very clear that all of us have to work harder than we have” and that “we cannot allow our citizens to go through what they have been going through any longer.”

One of the main problems the city is facing is the number of buses on the streets at any given time. Bing says that the city needs 305 buses on the streets on any given day. Currently, Bing says, they are averaging about 100 buses less than is needed.

Bing also says it will be challenging to fix the problem because of the city’s current financial situation. He says “The city is not in a fiscal position to spend as we have in the past; the bottom line is that we have to get the buses out of the repair shop and back on the street.

Bing says that there may be some conversations with the SMART bus system, but that currently he wants to concentrate on what he can control, which is DDOT.