The Auburn Hills City Council is expected to vote on a resolution to opt out of SMART, Detroit’s suburban bus system, at its city council meeting on Monday (2/21).
Instead of using SMART, the city is planning to create its own weekday-only transportation system for seniors and people with disabilities.
Megan Owens is the executive director of Transportation Riders United. She says if Auburn Hills opts out of the SMART system it would have ripple effects in the region.
“So it's not only the people in Auburn Hills, but people who need to travel through somewhere like Great Lakes Crossing. That's the one spot where transit connects Southeast Michigan, up to the Flint service, and obviously to probably 1000s of entry level jobs.”
Auburn Hills residents currently pay just under 1 mill in taxes for SMART bus services. If City Council opts out then SMART service would end on January 1, 2023.