In 1996, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs opened its brand new John D. Dingell VA Medical Center,
located at 4646 John R. Street, in the Detroit Medical Center area. The opening of this new facility resulted
in the closing of the former Allen Park Veterans Administration Hospital in Allen Park, MI, which opened in
1939. During the move to the new Detroit facility, and prior to the completion of its new parking structure,
the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) launched a new Park & Ride shuttle service to transport
passengers (mostly nurses and administrative employees) from the former VA Hospital location, on Outer
Drive at the Southfield Freeway Service Drive in Allen Park, to the new VA Medical Center, located on John
R. between Hancock and Canfield in Detroit.
This new VA shuttle service originally began as an extra-service operation by DDOT sometime during mid-December of
1996. Ironically, the launching of this new shuttle service began during a period when the relations between the city-run
bus system and the suburban bus operation SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation)
appeared to be somewhat strained. (see DDOT Suburban Bus Routes - 1997)
Beginning Saturday, February 1, 1997, DDOT launched six new bus routes into the surrounding suburbs that were in
direct competition with established SMART routes. These routes were launched during a period the local media referred
to as a "bus system war" between the city-run DDOT and the suburban SMART operations. Effective on that following
Monday, the #94 VA Park & Ride shuttle became an actual DDOT bus route. The route primarily traveled along the
I–94 Detroit Industrial/Ford Freeway during its route between the two VA Hospital locations. Service operated as a
one-way "pick up and go" Park & Ride service. The service required a $2.00 fare with no additional zone fare charges
required.
Assigned out of the Coolidge Terminal, the service operated at 15–minute intervals during peak-hours only. No actual
VA Park & Ride runs were ever used—-with all service being assigned to runs from other lines (a long-time department
practice), such as route #21 Grand River, #27 Joy Road and #60 Evergreen runs operating via the VA shuttle.
However, DDOT's venture into the surrounding suburbs would be short–lived, for in January, 1998, DDOT announced
that it could no longer afford to run its buses outside the city of Detroit. Consequently, as part of a departmental–wide
cost cutting move —- effective with the operator's pick that went into effect on Saturday, January 17, 1998 —- DDOT
discontinued all of its suburban bus service, including its route #94 VA Park & Ride.
located at 4646 John R. Street, in the Detroit Medical Center area. The opening of this new facility resulted
in the closing of the former Allen Park Veterans Administration Hospital in Allen Park, MI, which opened in
1939. During the move to the new Detroit facility, and prior to the completion of its new parking structure,
the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) launched a new Park & Ride shuttle service to transport
passengers (mostly nurses and administrative employees) from the former VA Hospital location, on Outer
Drive at the Southfield Freeway Service Drive in Allen Park, to the new VA Medical Center, located on John
R. between Hancock and Canfield in Detroit.
This new VA shuttle service originally began as an extra-service operation by DDOT sometime during mid-December of
1996. Ironically, the launching of this new shuttle service began during a period when the relations between the city-run
bus system and the suburban bus operation SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation)
appeared to be somewhat strained. (see DDOT Suburban Bus Routes - 1997)
Beginning Saturday, February 1, 1997, DDOT launched six new bus routes into the surrounding suburbs that were in
direct competition with established SMART routes. These routes were launched during a period the local media referred
to as a "bus system war" between the city-run DDOT and the suburban SMART operations. Effective on that following
Monday, the #94 VA Park & Ride shuttle became an actual DDOT bus route. The route primarily traveled along the
I–94 Detroit Industrial/Ford Freeway during its route between the two VA Hospital locations. Service operated as a
one-way "pick up and go" Park & Ride service. The service required a $2.00 fare with no additional zone fare charges
required.
Assigned out of the Coolidge Terminal, the service operated at 15–minute intervals during peak-hours only. No actual
VA Park & Ride runs were ever used—-with all service being assigned to runs from other lines (a long-time department
practice), such as route #21 Grand River, #27 Joy Road and #60 Evergreen runs operating via the VA shuttle.
However, DDOT's venture into the surrounding suburbs would be short–lived, for in January, 1998, DDOT announced
that it could no longer afford to run its buses outside the city of Detroit. Consequently, as part of a departmental–wide
cost cutting move —- effective with the operator's pick that went into effect on Saturday, January 17, 1998 —- DDOT
discontinued all of its suburban bus service, including its route #94 VA Park & Ride.
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D-DOT Route #94
| VA PARK & RIDE |
Information for the above article was compiled from various Detroit area newspapers articles courtesy of the Stan Sycko
newspaper collection, and from the DDOT Route Update notices, route maps and bulletins archived in the author's collection.
newspaper collection, and from the DDOT Route Update notices, route maps and bulletins archived in the author's collection.
| Route operated under D-DOT |
| The above map displays the former DDOT route #94 VA Park & Ride, which operated from the old VA Hospital in Allen Park via the Southfield Fwy (M-39), I-94 (Ford Fwy) and John R. to the new VA Medical Center in Detroit, and reverse via Brush Street on the return trips. |