D-DOT Route #90
| BAKER-OAKLAND |
In 1992, DDOT management announced that the following eight bus routes; Baker, Gratiot,
Jefferson, Joy Rd., Michigan, Oakland, Vernor and Woodward, would no longer terminate
downtown, but would now be combined to form four new routes. These lines were to provide DDOT
passengers with non-stop "through-routing" service in-and-out of the downtown area.
Effective Saturday, September 5, 1992, DDOT routes #3 Baker-W. Vernor and #36 Oakland were
combined and through-routed out of downtown. This newly combined route would be known as
Route #90 BAKER-OAKLAND. Service would operate from the Ford River Rouge Plant--Gate #2
(Miller Road) near the far south-west side, over to Eight Mile and Dequindre on the city's north-east
side.
Despite the numerous problems encountered during the mid-seventies after the combining of the
Michigan and Gratiot routes, DDOT management was now determined to implement this combining
of routes on a much larger scale. Consequently, numerous service problems were encountered with
the operation of the new routes being assigned to two different terminals. Unpredictable coach and
manpower shortages, compounded with a lack of communication between the terminal locations,
resulted in numerous sporadic gaps within the service.
However, this combined routing arrangement didn't last long. The service was discontinued, for the
most part, on June 25, 1994, when DDOT and SMART joined forces in a cooperative (but short-lived)
route swapping project, where SMART took over operation of DDOT's Michigan and Jefferson
routes.
Meanwhile, the combined #90 Baker-Oakland line would continue on for another year. However,
those two routes were also separated, effective Saturday, June 17, 1995. While route #36 Oakland
would return as a separate line, the former #3 Baker (W. Vernor) portion of the line was instead
combined with the #49 E. Vernor line, resulting in a new "through-routed" #49 Vernor route.
Jefferson, Joy Rd., Michigan, Oakland, Vernor and Woodward, would no longer terminate
downtown, but would now be combined to form four new routes. These lines were to provide DDOT
passengers with non-stop "through-routing" service in-and-out of the downtown area.
Effective Saturday, September 5, 1992, DDOT routes #3 Baker-W. Vernor and #36 Oakland were
combined and through-routed out of downtown. This newly combined route would be known as
Route #90 BAKER-OAKLAND. Service would operate from the Ford River Rouge Plant--Gate #2
(Miller Road) near the far south-west side, over to Eight Mile and Dequindre on the city's north-east
side.
Despite the numerous problems encountered during the mid-seventies after the combining of the
Michigan and Gratiot routes, DDOT management was now determined to implement this combining
of routes on a much larger scale. Consequently, numerous service problems were encountered with
the operation of the new routes being assigned to two different terminals. Unpredictable coach and
manpower shortages, compounded with a lack of communication between the terminal locations,
resulted in numerous sporadic gaps within the service.
However, this combined routing arrangement didn't last long. The service was discontinued, for the
most part, on June 25, 1994, when DDOT and SMART joined forces in a cooperative (but short-lived)
route swapping project, where SMART took over operation of DDOT's Michigan and Jefferson
routes.
Meanwhile, the combined #90 Baker-Oakland line would continue on for another year. However,
those two routes were also separated, effective Saturday, June 17, 1995. While route #36 Oakland
would return as a separate line, the former #3 Baker (W. Vernor) portion of the line was instead
combined with the #49 E. Vernor line, resulting in a new "through-routed" #49 Vernor route.
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