Detroit to Retrain Bus Drivers After 2 Horses Boarded City Bus

Q: Why did a Detroit bus driver lower the ramp for two saddled horses, and how is this viral stunt changing transit rules?

The driver lowered the ramp because he appears to have believed the horses were being presented as service animals. Onboard video shows him asking whether they were “service animal[s]” and then extending the wheelchair ramp to help them board. The horses’ owner, Jordan Williams of Urban City Cowboys, later said the move was a stunt meant to spotlight Black cowboys and urban equestrian culture in Detroit, not an attempt to actually ride the route. The viral video is now prompting a policy and training response, not a rule change allowing horses. Detroit officials said the incident violated DDOT policy and created safety concerns for passengers and the animals. The city has said it will retrain bus operators on rider safety and on how to apply ADA service-animal rules in unusual situations. That matters because ADA protections are narrow. Public transit must admit legitimate service animals, typically dogs, and in some cases miniature horses when reasonable and clearly connected to a disability-related task. DDOT said these horses appeared to be on the bus for another purpose, so they did not qualify under its policy. Transit staff also are limited in what they can ask, which helps explain how the misunderstanding happened. In practice, the stunt is leading DDOT to sharpen enforcement and operator guidance: better screening of claimed service animals, clearer understanding of when animals are allowed, and more emphasis on consulting supervisors when a situation is unclear.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 14

Detroit said Friday it will use a Nov. 7 incident involving two horses on a city bus to retrain operators on rider safety protocols.
City footage showed the driver extending a ramp so the horses could enter through the front door and exit through the back, a move officials said could have been dangerous.
Officials said service animals are allowed only under certain requirements and that these horses appeared to have been brought aboard for other reasons.
Jordan Williams, a co-founder of Urban City Cowboys, told WXYZ he boarded the bus during a fundraiser visit to film a quick video and said he wanted to show “there are cowboys that look like us.”