Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield announced an expansion to the Ride to Rise transportation program aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism in schools.

The program allows students for all schools in Detroit, including charter schools, to ride city busses for free. Now the program will be permanent thanks to a $1 million in state funding.

Sheffield also announced the city will be adding ambassadors to the buses to routes citywide to address parents’ concerns about safety.

“We have heard that having trusted adults riding alongside our students could provide additional level of support to help students navigate their trips to and from school,” Sheffield said.

Ambassadors are DDOT employees who will be trained in interacting with students and keeping a watchful eye. They will ride the busses during peak hours before and after school.

Sheffield also announced a rideshare pilot program. The pilot will be available to select high schools with students who have unique transportation barriers.

Detroit’s Senior Director of Youth and Education Chanel Hampton said the pilot will pick up and drop off 150 high school students across 4 schools.

“So this pilot will go through about two months, the first couple months of school, and then we’re really excited again to take that data, see what we’re learning, and frankly, we’re working on a larger agenda around all things transportation, not just with the city, but also with our schools,” Hampton said.

The city also announced an ambassador program where DDOT employees will ride the busses during peak hours before and after school to ensure safety for the students.  

Listen above to the full interview with Chanel Hampton about the new additions to Ride to Rise.