Detroit MetroLift

Paratransit Service Update

The Detroit City Council has voted down a Transdev contract that would have allowed DDOT to continue to provide 1,000 rides a day to residents with disabilities. As a result, DDOT will institute a 70% reduction in paratransit service on Jan. 1, providing roughly 300 rides a day, down from 1,000 daily. The contract with People's Express will provide 30% of existing paratransit service and prioritize medical trips.

Detroit MetroLift is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandatory paratransit service provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation. Service is based on an individual’s functional inability to independently board, ride, and or disembark from an accessible fixed-route bus.

DDOT is building a new paratransit model, bringing key services in-house and using new service providers. The current provider, Transdev, will no longer be responsible for any direct service to customers. DDOT will utilize this new model beginning January 1, 2023. 

Detroit MetroLift Service Update

• Detroit MetroLift fare is $2.50.
• Call 313-208-7363 to schedule a ride. Please see below for more details. 
• Remain at your pickup location until the driver arrives.
• Please wear a mask. When you cover properly, you protect everyone.
• Find a safe place to wait for your return trip.  If a paratransit transfer is needed, ask the Detroit MetroLift reservationist for nearby transfer shelters.

Am I Eligible?

Eligibility is based on a person’s functional limitation, not a medical diagnosis. A person who has a specific impairment-related condition that prevents them from traveling to or from a boarding or disembarking location is also eligible for paratransit service.

How to Apply

There are several ways to apply. 

1. Download the Detroit MetroLift Application in English, Spanish, or Arabic. 
2. Either mail or drop off a completed form to DDOT’s Administrative Office at 100 Mack Ave. Detroit, MI 48201 Monday – Friday at 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Applications must include the Professional Verification Form completed by a licensed professional and accompanied by a copy of valid identification, phone number, and address.

Where is Detroit MetroLift Service Provided?

Detroit MetroLift is provided within 3/4 miles area around all DDOT bus stops.

Click here to view an interactive map with details

How to Schedule a Trip

Detroit MetroLift trips must be made 1 to 14 days in advance by calling Transdev at (313) 208-7363 Monday – Saturday between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Same-day trips are available. 

Please provide the customer service representative the following information:

• Name and client ID number
• Your origin and destination address
• The time to reach your destination
• If you use a mobility aid (i.e., wheelchair, cane, walker) and if you request door-to-door assistance.

Customer Care

For questions or concerns about Detroit MetroLift services, please contact Transdev Customer Care at (313) 208-7363, select option 3 to be directed to a representative.

If you feel that you have been discriminated against because of your disability,  please submit the ADA Complaint Form. 

Click here to download and complete an ADA Complaint Form. 

Complaints may be submitted to the DDOT ADA Coordinator as follows:

• By phone: (313) 833-3655
• By email: [email protected]
• By mail:

         ATTN: ADA Coordinator, Compliance Division
         Detroit Department of Transportation
         100 Mack Ave.
         Detroit, MI 48201

New Freedom

New Freedom is transportation service for disabled Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park residents.

The goal of the New Freedom Program is to provide transportation options to individuals with disabilities beyond DDOT’s MetroLift ADA Paratransit service. The New Freedom service offers citizens with disabilities transportation which allows them to travel up to 25 miles within Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. The service is operated Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., excluding holidays.

• Individuals must be a verified resident of the City of Detroit, Highland Park or Hamtramck. A valid state of Michigan driver license or ID card must be used for residency verification

• Applicants must be unable to independently board, ride and/or disembark from a ramp-equipped fixed route bus due to a functional limitation, verified by a professional familiar with the applicant’s limitations.

DDOT has partnered with Transdev to schedule and dispatch trips for New Freedom service. To reserve a trip, call Transdev at (313) 208-7363. Scheduling hours are Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations for trips can be scheduled 1 to 8 days in advance.

Download a New Freedom application from the Documents section below.

Definitions

Denial:  If the entity cannot schedule a ride that is no more than one hour before or after (+/-) the desired departing time, the trip must be tracked as a denial. Even if a rider accepts an offer of a trip that is outside the one-hour window, the trip must be tracked as a denial due to the entity’s inability to meet the ADA service criteria. Similarly, if only one leg of a round trip can be reserved, and the rider declines to take both trips, it must be tracked as two denials. (If the rider accepts the “return” trip, only one trip has been denied.) If the rider refuses an alternate time that is within the one-hour window, it is not a denial for the purposes of ADA compliance.  The regulations allow entities to negotiate pickup times with ADA eligible persons within a one-hour +/- window.

Missed Trip:  A trip is considered missed if the vehicle arrives outside of the pickup window and the rider does not take the trip. If the rider does take the trip, it will be considered a late trip.

On-Time Performance:  Paratransit on-time performance is calculated by dividing the count of Detroit MetroLift’s passenger pickups that are on-time (within 15 minutes late or 15 minutes early of the scheduled pickup time) by the number of total requested pickups, reported system-wide.

Excessively Long Trips:  All paratransit rides shall have travel times equal to or less than comparable fixed route travel times. Any rides that are longer than the comparable fixed route travel time will be considered excessively long.