So we bought a bus and did what we could.
We were stuck. Really stuck. I mean as a city. Our public schools weren't running properly. The crime rate was getting better but it was still nowhere close to good. Above all that, the public transportation system took hours to navigate — if it even ran a route to your neighborhood. Dude. What a bummer.
Our mission is to get every Detroiter a ride where they need to go. Bar none.
One bus, one artist friend, one big idea
That's why we started The Detroit Bus Company in 2011. The DBC stands for connectivity. We're growing roots to every neighborhood in the city to build a grassroots system to increase access for all the citizens of our city.
Whether that's a simple ride to school, work, or a lap around town to explore opportunities and see new things — a ride can be a powerful thing.
We started giving free rides to Detroit students in 2012 as a way to increase their access to the system of resources available to them outside of their neighborhoods. With one 24-seater bus, we gave 5,711 rides during the 2012–2013 school year.
In 2016, we launched Ride for Ride. We're building a better tomorrow for Detroiters through a simple idea: when you ride a DBC bus, you're giving someone in need a ride where they need to go.
The totally unbiased story of our founder
You thought this was gonna be another corporate bio? No way.
Andy Didorosi started a few small businesses before he really knew what he was doing. He rented a corner of a workshop at 16 and started working on cars for people. At 22, he opened Paper Street, a small business incubator in Ferndale, because he knew how hard it was for the little guy to get space. Some of you might also remember The Thunderdrome!, a little racing series on an abandoned Detroit velodrome in 2010. That was fun.
In 2011, he got the idea that Detroiters needed a better way to get around. Typical to the hustle: he bought a bus, had an artist friend paint it up, and we hit the road running a route around the city of Detroit where you could ride as much as you wanted for just $5. That's how The Detroit Bus Company was born. I became We, and the team was on.
Do we have things figured out? Totally not. And maybe not ever. But we're definitely onto something, and we couldn't be any happier about that.
The particulars we're stubborn about
_Hand-painted buses
Every bus is renovated and painted by local Detroit artists. One-of-a-kind, impossible to lose in a parking lot, and rolling proof that a bus doesn't have to be boring.
_Thriving-wage drivers
We hand-select our drivers from hundreds of applicants — the rare mix of top-shelf driving ability, customer care, and youth awareness. We pay a thriving wage to all of our employees, and we hire folks who view driving as a career, not just a job.
_Rides that give rides
Every seat purchased on one of our experiences gives a Detroit kid in need a safe ride to school or an after-school program. Here's how that works.
Our story is only just beginning.
Take a tour, rent a bus, or just wave when we roll by. Hop on and take part in a transit revolution.
