Robberies at gunpoint, a man with brass knuckles stalking his ex-girlfriend, passengers threatening to shoot bus drivers: these are only a few examples of shocking assaults and crime taking over Detroit’s public transit system.

The city’s Department of Transportation data show that in December, monthly ridership was 935,423. Both passengers and drivers face disturbing amounts of crime — last year alone, there were 11,344 instances of the city’s Transit Police having to board DDOT coaches, as transit police received calls for hundreds of disturbances and medical emergencies, including passengers with severe mental illnesses threatening other riders, the Detroit News reports.

Transit Police were sent to investigate 47 assaults near or on public transit vehicles, the outlet notes, and while assaults on drivers usually average from 12 to 15 a year, that number increased to 18 in 2023. 

It’s a problem that has plagued Detroit’s public transportation for years — between 2007 and 2013, bus drivers staged several walkouts to protest the lack of safety. Passengers for years have expressed fear about riding the buses. In 2018, the Detroit News reported that some riders had witnessed shootouts, and others feared being a bystander to violence or getting accidentally caught up in an incident. 

Other instances in public transit reports reviewed by the Detroit News include a passenger who said she was injected with an unknown substance that caused her to faint, a passenger who was slapped, and a bus driver who was spat at. 

The city’s police department will take over the Transit Police patrols in July if a budget shift is approved by the city council. The potential switch has faced pushback from some who fear that police won’t be as equipped to handle mentally ill and disabled riders, the Detroit News notes, citing a letter sent to the city by nonprofits and a union representing transit employees.

A director of a nonprofit called Transportation Riders United, Megan Owens, said the group prefers “transit ambassadors to support the bus system in a less police-oriented way,” citing concerns of over-policing and adding that Transit Police are better suited to helping people with disabilities.

“I just think Detroit Police should patrol the neighborhoods and let Transit Police handle the buses,” she said. 

Detroit’s police department has said that its more than 2,500 officers are “highly trained” for scenarios involving the disability community and mental health issues. 

“Last year alone, the DPD responded to more than 14,000 mental health calls,” the police department said, per the Detroit News. “In addition to their standard training, many of our officers and supervisors have specialized training in crisis intervention and mental health first aid. We are confident that our officers will provide professional policing services to the Department of Transportation’s riders and employees.”

Detroit’s deputy mayor, Todd Bettison, has said that police have greater jurisdiction, allowing them to enforce the law elsewhere if a suspect leaves a public transit area.

“Several members of the Transit Police are not MCOLES certified, which means that they are not able to take law enforcement action, which provides a false sense of security for drivers and passengers,” Mr. Bettison said.

Crime in the city more generally is down overall — between November 2022 and November 2023, homicides decreased by 18 percent and carjackings decreased by 36 percent, police data indicate. 

The Detroit Police Department and the mayor’s office were not responsive to requests for comment.