DDOT continues fleet conversion with 10 new clean diesel coaches

Credit: Detroit Department of Transportation

The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) has announced that it is continuing to expand and improve its fleet of buses, with the addition of 10 new cleaner diesel-engine coaches to its fleet. This is in addition to 28 new coaches that had been added in August 2022.

In addition, a delivery of 10 more new coaches is expected in spring 2023, which will complete DDOT’s fleet replacement of more than 150 new coaches since the conversion began in 2016.

The continued addition of newer buses to the DDOT fleet means that it is the transit system’s youngest and most environmentally friendly fleet to date. The new coaches that have been added will allow for the decommissioning of 10 more of the older green and yellow coaches from 2010, which are among the department’s oldest buses still in active service.

The new 40-foot coaches will use an environmentally friendly fuel blend of 20% biodiesel and standard diesel, known as ‘clean diesel’. While the 2010 coaches also used ‘clean diesel’, engine technology has improved significantly, so the new buses produce fewer emissions overall.

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“DDOT continues to provide quality, safe and reliable transit to its riders, and cycling in new coaches play a large part in that,” said DDOT’s Executive Director of Transit Mikel Oglesby. “Newer coaches are better for the environment, cheaper to maintain, more reliable and are more comfortable for riders, which makes it a win-win-win for Detroit.”

The new coaches will feature amenities for riders, such as bicycle racks, video infotainment and USB chargers, as well as protective barriers to offer the operators additional safety on their routes. The cost for each coach was approximately $521,000.

DDOT is also actively recruiting new transit operators to drive the coaches. Operator duties include operating motor coaches and wheelchair lifts, collecting and ensuring correct fare, providing location and stop information when necessary, maintaining a clean vehicle, completing route paperwork and maintaining a route schedule.