DETROIT (WXYZ) — In its final formal session of 2022, the Detroit City Council at first voted to approve a $49 million+ paratransit services contract with Transdev Services, Inc. However, it was then reconsidered after a recess and voted down.
The contract, which would have run through December 31, 2027, was officially voted down 4 to 4 after Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero changed her vote after offering a motion to reconsider. Councilmember Scott Benson was absent from today's meeting.
During Tuesday’s session, there was much debate over the contract, with some members of the council saying they were put in a difficult position and given an ultimatum with little time to decide.
Concerns over the $49 million contract stemmed from past reports of poor service. Now that the council has voted it down, the Detroit Department of Transportation "will institute a 70-percent reduction in paratransit service on Jan. 1, providing roughly 300 rides a day, down from 1000 daily."
The city says DDOT will consider its options following the vote.
