Posted on May 11, 2012

Detroit Bus Cuts: Community Coalition Files Civil Rights Complaint with Justice Department

David Sands, Huffington Post, May 9, 2012

A transit advocacy group announced Wednesday it will file a Title VI Civil Rights complaint against the Detroit Department of Transportation, alleging recent bus cuts came without proper notice or public hearings.

Severely short on funds, DDOT recently eliminated nighttime bus service from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. and cut service hours on 34 weekday routes and 29 weekend routes in favor of boosting service on four key routes.

The North End Woodward Community Coalition says DDOT violated federal regulations for public input at public hearings over the two rounds of service cuts.

The group alleges DDOT “failed its federal mandate to get meaningful public input before making cuts to service” and “to provide an alternative to mitigate the impact of the cuts on minority and low income populations, many of who rely solely on the bus for to get to work and school.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin by recipients of federal funds. {snip}

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The coalition wants DDOT to restore service and claims that the cuts leave Detroiters without an “equitable” stake in the city.

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