If you’re looking for a ride to the polls this Election Day, hop on a bus. For one day, Detroit’s Department of Transportation is offering free bus rides.
“They're totally free, from sunup to sundown,” Detroit city clerk Janice Winfrey said. “You can ride the bus, and we want you to use those buses to go to your polling locations and vote. If you are a poll worker, use those buses to go to your polling site to work.”
DDOT hopes this will eliminate the transportation barrier for voters. The city's transportation department is also partnering with SMART, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, to offer free bus rides in the city’s suburbs.
Riders do not need to present an ID or reason to board a bus. Robert Cramer, the executive director of DDOT, affirmed that the entire system will be free on Election Day.
“You don't have to be a certain resident of a different community,” Cramer said. You don't have to say that you're going to vote or anything. The whole day will be free for anyone that needs to ride. No questions asked.”
So far, 99,000 Detroit voters have received absentee ballots, according to Daniel Baxter, the chief of operations for the Detroit elections department. He anticipates that two-thirds of the voting population will cast early and absentee ballots. The remaining third will turn up to election polls, Baxter said.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
