There's a reason why bedbugs are nicknamed "hitchhikers." But Detroit city bus riders don't want to share a ride with them.
"I never ever imagined they would be a problem on buses," said Anthony DeRamus. "It makes me uncomfortable."
Fellow rider Renee Solomon takes a city bus twice a week to school.
"Makes you not want to get on and sit down. No one wants to get bit," she said.
Another rider, Toni Coleman, said she's seen people put plastic bags on their bus seats to avoid the chance of bedbugs.
This pesky problem is getting new attention after City Council President Brenda Jones brought up how the issue is being solved in a recent meeting.
"She wants to know where things with the issue stand and what the solution is," said Detroit Department of Transportation director Dan Dickers.
Dickers is in charge of fixing and said there are efforts being made to keep buses clean.
- Contracted extermination company comes in quarterly
- When a specific report comes in that bus is treated immediately and more frequently
- When the buses are cleaned, the terminals where they are housed are cleaned as well.
"We have over a million customers a month riding our buses. If you see a problem we need you to call it in so we can tend to it right away," Dickers said.
Coleman added that she had noticed some results.
"When I got on a DDOT a few weeks ago, I noticed all the seats were wet," she said. "The driver told me they had just been treated for bedbugs. They are trying and I appreciate that."
If you want to report a bedbug siting call the DDOT customer service line at 313-224-4400 or 888-DDOT-BUS.