The City of Detroit’s Emergency Response to Essential Workers’ Transportation Challenges

Source: Next Energy Published: September 16, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 resulted in reduced bus service and capacity throughout the City of Detroit as well as many cities around the world. The Office of Mobility Innovation (OMI) needed to act fast to respond to the transportation challenge facing employees on the frontlines as well as exposed residents.

First, to ensure all residents had access to the Fairgrounds testing facility, OMI launched a transportation service that allows residents to book $2 shuttle rides at the same time of booking their test appointment at the testing site. Knowing that 25 percent of residents do not have access to a vehicle, this program helped hundreds, regardless of their insurance and ability to pay, get to the drive-through testing site safely.

After ensuring that residents had access to testing, OMI’s priority shifted to ensuring essential workers had alternative and safe transportation options to get to and from frontline jobs. To understand resident challenges, we reached out to three large essential employers to investigate employee transportation challenges. Through a voluntary enrollment form, employees requested various alternative forms of transportation. We responded through three different programs.

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