Detroit is adding hundreds of new bus shelters and benches at DDOT stops through 2027

Detroiters who wait for the bus are about to get a lot more places to sit down and get out of the weather.

Mayor Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Department of Transportation unveiled a campaign this week to install more than 200 new bus shelters and 200 new benches at stops across the city through 2027.

So far Detroit has put up more than 100 shelters and nearly 80 benches. Roughly 100 more shelters and about 120 more benches are still to come, part of a broader plan to upgrade around 400 bus stops.

There's a lot of ground to cover. "With over 5,000 DDOT stops in and around the City, every additional shelter or bench makes a difference many Detroiters experience every day," said Robert Cramer, DDOT's executive director.

Some of the newer shelters come with solar-powered lighting and USB charging ports.

The upgrades track with how people actually ride. DDOT's goal is to have 75% of passenger boardings occur at sheltered stops, as funding permits.

The push answers years of resident requests.

The plan has budget authority behind it. The Detroit City Council's FY 2026-2027 administration closing resolution directed DDOT to plan for additional bus shelters, benches, and trash receptacles at stops citywide.

Installation and upkeep of the advertising shelters is handled through a partnership with Brooklyn Outdoor. Along the E. Jefferson corridor, the city is also adding 21 elevated bus boarding platforms.

Cramer sees the effort as a template. "We really hope that this turns into a model that we can use to expand for even more bus stops in the future," he said.

For riders, the change shows up one corner at a time, a bench and a roof where there used to be just a pole and a schedule taped to it.