Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

The Michigan Legislature passed the Metropolitan Transportation Authorities Act of 1967, which included the creation of Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA). SEMTA was charged to take over the ownership and operations of the fractured regional transit systems in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, including the city of Detroit.[4]

The new authority acquired several suburban transit bus operations including Lake Shore Coach Lines (1971), Pontiac Municipal Transit Service (1973), Dearborn's Metropolitan Transit (1974), Birmingham's Great Lakes Transit (1974), and Royak Oak's Martin Lines (1975). However, the 1967 transportation act did not provide the regional authority with any means to levy taxes.[5] By 1974, the Detroit Department of Street Railways (DSR) had been reorganized as a city department of Detroit, leaving SEMTA only coordination over the suburban services.[4] That same year, SEMTA acquired a commuter train service between downtown Detroit and Pontiac from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. Due to declining ridership and a lack of funding, the commuter rail service was discontinued in October 1983.

In 1979, SEMTA approved a regional transit plan, which included improved bus service and new rail transit, but the plan was never implemented due to lack of funds.[4] The last commuter rail service was a former Penn Central route, named the Michigan Executive, that ran from the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit to Jackson. Its final operator was Amtrak, as funded by the State of Michigan. The already pared down Executive service ended in 1984.

Beginning in 1983, SEMTA oversaw the construction of the Detroit People Mover, which was conceived as part of a much larger project of light rail lines and a downtown subway. Mismanagement of the project resulted in tens of millions of dollars in cost overruns, causing the federal government to pull out of the project. In 1985, with the half-built project in limbo, the city of Detroit negotiated with SEMTA to take over the project, and it was transferred to the newly created Detroit Transportation Corporation.

1989-2022 logo

With little interest in the suburbs for expanding mass transit and Detroit not interested in joining the system, SEMTA was restructured as SMART in 1989, reducing the authority's service area from seven counties to three and excluding the city of Detroit.[4]

In 2005, Livonia opted out of SMART, as the first, and so far only, community to leave the system since 1995.[6][7] Walled Lake rejoined SMART the following year.[3][8]

On December 1, 2009, SMART raised its fares by $0.50. There was also a $0.50 charge added to regional monthly pass users and DDOT transfers. Fare increases were made to prevent possible cuts in bus services.[9]

In October 2011, the authority cut 22% of its service and laid off 123 employees due to declining property values which fund the system through its millage, and the inability of the authority to reach an agreement with its unions.[4]

In January 2012, the Farmington City Council voted 4-1 to opt out of SMART, though they unanimously reversed their decision two weeks later. Neighboring Farmington Hills narrowly voted to remain in the system.[10]

Lathrup Village, which had opted out of SMART in 1995, rejoined the system in 2014.[11]

On January 1, 2018, SMART began operating three high frequency, limited-stop FAST bus services, connecting downtown Detroit to suburban communities with frequent service.[12] FAST represented the first major expansion of the system since the 2011 service cuts.

In May 2019, SMART and DDOT unified their fare structures and introduced Dart, a common fare payment system.[13] The QLINE joined Dart the following October.[14]

In March 2021, SMART began offering Flex, a microtransit service, in three small zones within SMART's service area, with one covering Dearborn and most of Taylor alongside portions of surrounding communities, another serving portions of Troy, and the third serving communities along M-59 in Macomb County. Two more zones were added in December 2021 and May 2022, covering Auburn Hills and Pontiac, and Farmington and Farmington Hills respectively.[15]

In February 2022, the Auburn Hills City Council voted 5-2 to opt out of SMART.[16] The city's exit was blocked by a judge in May, and Auburn Hills remains a member as of December 2022.[17]

2022 saw a renewed push for a countywide expansion of SMART in Oakland County, ahead of the scheduled millage renewal that August. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners proposed replacing the existing SMART millage with a new ten-year .95 millage, which would be levied on all homes in the county, not just in existing member communities.[18] Approved by voters in November 2022,[19] the millage will abolish the opt-out system in Oakland County, allowing for the expansion of SMART services to the far reaches of Metro Detroit.[18][20]

SMART unveiled a new logo and branding in August 2022, coinciding with a new advertising campaign.[21] The following month, SMART introduced their first electric bus, one of four Proterra ZX5 units purchased by the agency with a Federal Transit Administration grant.[22][7]

Since 1995, SMART has been funded in large part by a millage, which has been renewed by voters in member communities every four years, appearing on the August primary ballot in midterm election years through 2018. The millage has historically been approved by wide margins in every member community in Oakland and Wayne counties, though less so in Macomb County, passing there by a narrow margin of 39 votes in 2018.[23]

In 2022, the SMART millage in Macomb and Wayne counties was extended to five years, and moved to the November general election ballot.[24][25] Both were approved by wide margins.[19]

In Oakland County, the SMART millage was replaced with a ten-year millage levied countywide, which will abolish the opt-out system in Oakland County, and fund three smaller paratransit providers (the North Oakland Transportation Authority, Western Oakland Transportation Authority, and Older Persons' Commission) alongside SMART.[18][20] The county's Board of Commissioners approved the new millage proposal on August 10, 2022 in a bipartisan vote, with two Republicans joining all 13 Democrats on the board.[20] The proposal appeared on the November 2022 general election ballot in all Oakland County communities, and passed with 57% of the vote.[19][26] As a result, SMART's service area will expand to all of Oakland County, effective January 1, 2023.

Wayne County

Oakland County

All communities in Oakland County became members of SMART effective January 1, 2023.

Macomb County

All communities in Macomb County are members of SMART.

SMART operates 47 fixed bus routes across its service area, serving as the main transit connection between Detroit's suburbs.[3] Most SMART routes run hourly, though some run every 30–40 minutes.

Fixed routes are operated with a fleet of 262 buses, consisting mostly of 40-foot Gillig BRT units, plus some articulated New Flyer Xcelsior and electric Proterra ZX5 buses.[7]

2020 New Flyer XD60 in FAST livery

Some of SMART's routes enter the City of Detroit and serve the Downtown and Midtown cores during weekday rush hours. Elsewhere in Detroit city limits, a local ordinance bars passengers from being dropped off on outbound routes, or boarding on inbound routes.[27] This is intended to avoid service duplication with Detroit Department of Transportation, which supplements the city of Detroit with its own bus service.

FAST (Frequent Affordable Safe Transit) limited-stop routes run along major Metro Detroit corridors, connecting downtown and midtown Detroit to suburban communities and Detroit Metro Airport with frequent service. Launched on January 1, 2018, FAST routes offer service along Michigan Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Gratiot Avenue.[12]

Flex Chrysler Pacifica

Flex is an on-demand microtransit service operated by Via Transportation,[29] intended as a last-mile service to connect fixed route riders to their final destinations.[30] The service operates similar to ridesharing; a passenger books a ride via telephone through the Flex app, and a marked vehicle (usually a minivan) picks them up (within 30 minutes) and takes them to their destination.[31] Flex was launched in March 2021, and currently operates in five service zones, covering all or part of 20 SMART member communities.

The fleet used for Flex consists of Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Toyota Sienna minivans, Chevrolet Blazer SUVs, and Chevrolet Malibu sedans, owned by Avis Budget Group. Each vehicle seats three or four Flex passengers, and some are equipped to transport wheelchairs.

Connector minibus

Connector is a paratransit service available across the SMART service area. It is available to residents of all ages, provided they live more than 1/3 of a mile away from a fixed route, though the distance requirement is waived for seniors (65 or older) and disabled riders. Connector service requires a reservation made by telephone at least one day in advance, and is operated using minibuses, primarily Champion Challenger units.[7][32]

Community Transit minibus, operated by the City of Farmington Hills

Community Transit is a paratransit service, available only to seniors and disabled riders. Unlike Connector, which is operated directly by SMART, Community Transit is operated by the municipal governments of member communities, as well as some nonprofit organizations.

Community Transit is operated with a fleet of Champion and ElDorado minibuses, and Ford E-Series and Transit vans.[7]

Wayne County

• Abdul Haidous, Wayne County Commissioner
• Khalil Rahal, Assistant County Executive

Oakland County

• Hilarie Chambers, Chief Deputy County Executive
• Bret C. Rasegan, Planning Manager

Macomb County

• Vicki Wolber, Deputy County Executive
• John Paul Rea, Deputy County Executive

Monroe County

• Royce Maniko, former Chief Finance Officer