Welcome to Transit Planning

What is transit?

Transit (sometimes referred to as public transportation) includes vehicles operated by a public agency for the public such as buses, trains and dedicated vans/cars for people with disabilities and seniors.

Transit connects people to work, education, medical care, shopping, entertainment and other activities which make up our daily lives.

Transit provide many benefits. It generates $5 in economics returns for local businesses, neighborhoods, and the local economy for every $1 invested. It provides access to jobs, 17% of Wayne County residents, and 5% of Macomb and Oakland County residents do not own a car and rely on transit to get around. 29% of all trips taken on SMART are to get to or from work. Transit is safer than driving. There were 134 times more fatalities on US highways than on transit in 2020. People you use transit tend to be healthier; 44 percent less likely to be overweight; 27 percent less likely to have high blood pressure; and 34 percent less likely to have diabetes. Transit used 6 billion less gallons of gas in the US in 2020 than commuting by car. Public transportation also produces 95% less volatile carbon monoxide and about 50% as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger per mile. Public Transit reduces traffic; one SMART bus potentially eliminates 60 cars on the road.

  • According to SMART’s FY 2022 – 2026 Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan, SMART owns five facilities: two maintenance facilities, one passenger facility, and two parking lots. There are 52 locally owned facilities, however, only twelve of the facilities have public transit as their primary purpose: seven maintenance facilities and five administrative facilities.

  • Fixed-route bus service comprises a significant portion of SMART’s ridership. SMART fixed-route buses account for 276 vehicles with 155 operated during peak service.

    SMART's 32 local routes serve as the main public transit connection between Detroit's suburbs. SMART does not operate local bus service within Detroit city limits, helping to provide a more efficient ride for longer distances traveled on its suburban express routes.

    SMART also operates seven commuter express routes between Downtown Detroit and the suburbs during weekday rush hours. They run toward Detroit in the morning, and toward the suburbs in the afternoon; all seven follow roughly the same path through Downtown Detroit, serving Spirit Plaza and the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

    Frequent Affordable Safe Transit (FAST) is SMART's flagship service and it’s version of Bus Rapid Transit. FAST is a high frequency, limited stop, express bus service that connects the surrounding suburbs to downtown Detroit. Stops for this service are located approximately every half mile along each route and passengers can only board and deboard at designated FAST stops. The service operates 7 days a week and during late-night hours with a service frequency of approximately every 15 to 20 minutes during peak service hours. Five FAST routes currently operate along three major Metro Detroit avenues - Gratiot, Michigan, and Woodward.

  • Demand-Response (DR) service encompasses all vehicles within a transportation agency provider that are dispatched by request to personally pick up passengers to transport them to the desired locations. SMART’s demand-response service consists of 120 vehicles, with 90 operated during peak service.

    Flex Service (Microtransit)

    Flex is an on-demand microtransit service that operates similar to ridesharing or carpools; a passenger is able to book a ride via telephone or the Flex smartphone app, and a marked minivan picks them up and takes them to their destination within designated Flex Zones.

    When requesting rides passengers are able to enter their origin and destination address and the application shows the exact pickup location, the driver’s name, vehicle model, and license plate. Rides can be requested any day of the week, between the hours of 6:00 AM and 11:00 PM and might be shared by one or more riders.

    Flex was launched in March 2021, and currently operates in five zones within Dearborn, Troy/Clawson, Auburn Hills/Pontiac, Hall Road, and Farmington/Farmington Hills covering all or part of 20 communities.

    ADA Paratransit Service

    SMART offers ADA paratransit service in Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne Counties. Operating similar to the to the Flex service but along fixed service routes, the ADA paratransit service operates the same days and hours and has the requirement that the pick-up and drop-off locations of the passenger be within 3/4 of a mile from a fixed-route bus stop.

    Door-to-door service can also be requested at the time of need as long as they are approved by the ADA coordinator. SMART prefers to schedule calls in advance and prepare necessary ridership amenities like steps and ramps. Any individual whose disability prohibits them from accessing fixed-route bus stops are conditionally eligible for the ADA paratransit service.

    Connector Service

    Connector is a dial-a-ride curb-to-curb service available across the SMART service area, which requires a reservation made by telephone at least one day in advance. 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. This service only operates on weekdays and trip destinations must be within a 10-mile radius of the trip origin

    Community Transit Program

    Established in 1995, the SMART Community Partnership Program is comprised of local communities or groups that have partnered with SMART to offer community transit service for 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. There are currently 77 community partners participating in the program.

Who is SMART

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is Southeast Michigan's regional bus system.

The SMART Fleet

SMART’s fleet is composed of:

  • 276 fixed-route buses

  • 120 demand-response vehicles

  • 298 vehicles are provided by SMART for the purpose of Community Transit Provider operations. These vehicles are owned and operated under the SMART name.

  • 53 vehicles were purchased by SMART but are operated by a local community member such as municipal governments of member communities, as well as some nonprofit organizations and not under the SMART name.