Future transit center in Detroit to be named after bus driver who died of Covid

DDOT transit center name unveiling turns emotional

A press conference announcing the name that would grace the new transit center being built at the old State Fairgrounds in Detroit turned emotional as the honoree's wife heard others talk about her husband.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - At a press conference that grew emotional at times, the family of a former Detroit Department of Transportation driver known for being one of the first people to die of COVID-19 got their first look at a new kind of recognition.

People will now remember Jason Hargrove's name for a different reason, as it graces the future transit center being built in Detroit at the former State Fair grounds.

Located at Woodward and Eight Mile, the new facility will be the cornerstone of public transit in the city as it seeks to build up its bus infrastructure and further connect the city to the communities around Southeast Michigan.

Whereas other buildings are named after politicians and professional athletes, the leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26 said honoring Hargrove left him speechless.

"It's famous people normally. You don't look at the small people that keep this world moving. And for them to come to us and say 'hey we want to name it after him'," said Schetrone Collier, "In my lifetime, I've never experienced such joy for being in the midst of a common worker. For someone to honor you like this, I know how much it means to his family.

"His name will live forever," he added.

Desha Hargrove, Jason's wife, broke down when she heard others talk about her late husband.

The other major bus stop in Detroit is called the Rosa Parks Transit Center - a name Desha never imagined equating with her husband.

"Iconic, legendary," she said, describing the civil rights leader, "So to have my big guy, my husband, named on a building; my heart is overjoyed. That's huge for all of us. He was one of ours, one of yours."

Desha spoke from a podium with the historic Dairy Cattle Barn in the background. The structure is being retrofitted with the help of $7 million to give bus drivers a place to go the bathroom and a refuge for passengers to escape the elements.

It's expected to open in May. Construction began in May 2023

Construction starts on Detroit transit center

What is expected to be a state-of-the-art transit center in Detroit is only a shell. Demolition on the interior of the building was completed over the winter and crews are expected to start construction this spring. The site, located at Eight Mile and Woodward, will open next year.

Hargrove worked as a DDOT bus driver when a video he recorded describing an experience of being coughed on by a passenger went viral. He would later die after contracting COVID-19 - one of the first in the city and only weeks after the pandemic was first reported in Michigan.

"It raised consciousness," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "I am sure it saved lives of bus operators in cities we haven't even thought of. But it was unfortunate it didn't come in time to save his life."

Also in attendance were city councilmembers Fred Durhal, Angela Calloway, and Coleman Young II, as well as the DDOT director Michael Staley.