SMART to reduce transit services

Ridership down due to COVID-19 impact

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transport (SMART) is further reducing services starting Tuesday as ridership has reduced 80 percent over the last several weeks.

• Service freqency will be hourly based off Sunday service with the addition of commuter routes. Hours of operation will be consistent with the length of weekday service hours.

• Woodward, Gratiot and Michigan will run staggered every hour, FAST and local routes will alternate every 30 minutes.

• Commuter and Park & Ride routes will operate only one trip to downtown in the morning and one trip out of downtown in the afternoon.

• SMART Shuttles and Dial-A-Ride service will not operate.

• Elimination of SMART same day services, including Groesbeck Shuttle, Somerset and Oakland Mall Shuttles as well as the Farmington/Farmington Hills Dial A Ride. Anyone needing ride in these areas should call SMART Connector to reserve a trip at 866-962-5515. Just follow the prompts, press #1 for Connector, then #4 for Same Day Service.

SMART will place additional buses at the ready along busier routes to join buses that may be reaching a crowded passenger level in order to help everyone better practice social distancing.

Customer Service is extending their hours to assist riders with service reductions. Riders in need of assistance can call 866962-5515 from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. today and Tuesday.

Free fare, rear door boarding and other safety initiatives recently started due to the pandemic stay in place.

Information on the reduction can also be found online at smartbus.org