Two Horses Board a Detroit City Bus: Now the Driver Has to Go Back for Training

In Detroit, a bus driver apparently has a pretty generous idea of who gets to ride public transit. When he spotted two men with their horses waiting at a bus stop on Seven Mile Road, near Strasburg Street, he pulled over, lowered the wheelchair ramp, and let the animals board. Two full-grown horses on a city bus. The driver took his unusual passengers in stride, with a level of calm that has since given his transit department quite a headache. "If they can get in here, it is what it is," he commented. He did at least ask whether the horses were service animals. Moments later, he reassured himself that he wouldn't get in trouble because, after all, they were service animals.

The footage spread across the internet. Newly released surveillance video shows the entire encounter. The two men led their horses through the empty bus and then back outside. The bus even played its automated greeting: "Welcome aboard." The driver gave his unusual passengers a friendly goodbye, closed the doors, and continued on his route. Detroit's transit agency, the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), subsequently reviewed the publicly shared footage and the bus's surveillance recordings. Its conclusion was considerably less accommodating than the driver's decision. While service animals that meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act are expressly welcome, the two horses appeared to have been brought aboard for other reasons.

The reason behind the stunt is now known. Jordan Williams, co-founder of Urban City Cowboys and owner of the horses, explained that he wanted to draw attention to Black cowboys and urban equestrian culture with the unusual bus ride. After all, the history of cowboys has far more faces than America's usual image of the Wild West would have us believe. There's a certain irony in the city's official explanation. The stunt was supposedly intended to raise awareness for a positive cause. What that cause actually was, however, city officials didn't say. The horses had already finished their ride before the city could even explain why they'd been on the bus in the first place.

Under the transit agency's rules, only recognized service animals are allowed aboard. They must sit on the floor or in a passenger's lap. With two horses, that second option would presumably present some rather serious practical difficulties. The department cited safety risks for both the other passengers and the horses themselves.

The driver involved has since been spoken to by his supervisors. No further disciplinary measures have been announced. Alexis Ware, the city's deputy director of media relations, confirmed that. Going forward, all bus drivers will receive additional training on which animals they're allowed to transport. At the same time, the city is offering local entrepreneurs support in raising awareness of their projects, provided they do so safely. Detroit has now learned an unusual lesson: Sometimes a bus driver's refresher training begins with two horses at a bus stop.