Detroit - - A $50 million federal grant that will pay for 53 new public buses is the latest sign that Detroit continues to make strides toward a safe, reliable mass transit system, a goal that has long eluded the Motor City, city officials and transit advocates said Monday.

The grant from the Federal Transit Authority, awarded last week, is the most recent boost of federal funding that is helping stabilize the city of Detroit's Department of Transportation ( DDOT ), which operates the city's public bus system, Mayor Mike Duggan said at a Monday press conference. The federal funding is only one of the elements that is improving the city's bus system, Duggan said.

"What DDOT needed is funding for a complete overhaul: new buses, new terminals and much better pay for drivers and mechanics

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