Richard C. Clement - Test Researcher
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| Expanding Light Rail Transportation in the tri-county area |
The recent harsh weather in Detroit has created hardship and
havoc among Detroit Citizens. Some people depend on their cars to maintain a
living wage. If a car is not available, the next mode of transportation
is the DDOT bus system. When all of the busses are working and on time, it is
the greatest and cheapest form of Transportation. When busses break down or
something happens to a bus, riders have no way of knowing what happened or
where the bus is on the route.
On January 7th, 2014 @ 8am, The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr. conducted a test of the
bus system recently conducted a test of the DDOT bus system, based on the
information provided online. Using the
Google Maps feature, I was able to find the proper bus to catch to get downtown
for the inauguration. It was -10 degrees Fahrenheit and the plan was not to
stay in the cold weather very long.
Unbeknown to the test subject, one of the busses on the 10 Chene line
had broken down and was taken offline.
So a 15 minute wait turned into a 55 minute wait in the cold. Luckily,
the test subject was used to the weather because they were raised delivering newspapers
for the Detroit News and walking to school at 12 years old in the cold weather.
The DDOT bus driver was very nice and apologetic about the
bus problems. Had the test subject know about the mechanical failure, there
would have been an option to hop on the bus when it was heading north and rode
the loop back in a warm bus. Needless to
say I missed the inauguration ceremonies arriving at 10:15am.
Under the direction of the new City Council and Mayor’s
office, a bus tracking app letting riders know the precise location of the bus
will be developed. This is will be an extreme help to a rider/customer of
DDOT. This app will be designed to run
on most cell phones, iPads, and tablets.
This is what an elected City Council can do for its citizens and
visitors. From using Google Glass to
using your android phone or tablet, GPS tracking of DDOT busses will be a benefit to the consumer
and, allow for information on the system to be disseminated in a timely manner.
This is the type of change that the Detroit City Council and
Mayor’s office can make happen. We have new council leadership that will stand up for the city when it is
under attack from, people and news organizations who mean Detroiters no good.
We vow to improve the bus system for the Citizens and Customers
of DDOT because no one should be left out in the elements of weather waiting
for a bus that may be late or broken down.
If you agree then, we want you to come to City Council and express
yourself because, being silent and complaining without a solution benefits no
one.
Please consider donating to the car repair fund for the less fortunate by clicking on the Donate button below.
