DETROIT (WWJ) It’s a situation that is really bugging bus riders — and creating a potentially itchy, scratchy ride in Detroit. Just when riders thought the problem-riddled transit system couldn’t get any worse, there’s reportedly a bed bug situation.

Detroit Councilwoman Brenda Jones brought up the issue of bedbugs on city buses during a recent meeting. She said she’d been told by a young woman that they’re a problem, and wanted to know what’s being done to solve the problem.

D-DOT Director Dan Dirks says many systems nationwide have had to deal with this dilemma — and Detroit’s buses are sprayed periodically.

“I can’t tell you exactly, I know it’s done periodically,” Dirks told WWJ’s Vickie Thomas. “When we get a request in, we’ll do it that day.”

Detroit City Council and D-DOT are working together to address the problem, he added.

He added it’s not an uncommon problem in a transit system.

“If customers find a problem with the bus, just call the station … and we’ll take care of it,” Dirks said.

This isn’t the first time this has come up in Detroit’s transit system; in 2012, about 50 drivers reported that they had been bitten.

The National Pest Management Association describes bed bugs as “hitchhikers” who latch onto suitcases, clothing, beds and other dark spaces, and emerge to feed on human blood.

If you feel like you’ve been attacked by bed bugs on a city bus, the D-DOT customer service line is 313-224-4400 or 888-DDOT-BUS.