Detroit MetroLift

DDOT’s paratransit services.    

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.

Detroit MetroLift Service Update

  • Effective, March 15, 2021, Detroit MetroLift $2.50 fare collection resumed.
  • 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.

Map highlighting the service area of Detroit MetroLift

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:

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

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.