# Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

> SMART is Southeast Michigan's regional public transportation authority, using fixed-route and limited-stop buses, ADA paratransit, advance-reservation Connector trips, locally operated community transit, and app- or phone-booked SMART Flex rides to connect Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. Its defining move is not a single vehicle but a portfolio: frequent corridors where demand is concentrated and shared, on-demand service where suburban distance makes conventional routes difficult.

- **Founded:** 1967
- **Headquarters:** Detroit, United States
- **Team size:** LinkedIn lists 501-1,000 employees. February 2025 board materials reported 413 filled fixed-route operator positions, 129 filled paratransit operator positions and 65 filled mechanic positions.
- **Products:** Fixed Route, Community Partnership Program, Connector, ADA Paratransit, FAST
- **Notable:** Began regional transit service in 1967 and was reorganized under the SMART name in 1989., Launched FAST limited-stop regional corridors in January 2018., Launched SMART Flex with Via in March 2021.

## Products & services

- **Fixed Route** — Scheduled bus service on community, crosstown, commuter, park-and-ride and major-corridor routes across SMART's service area.
- **Community Partnership Program** — A program through which SMART helps municipalities and organizations operate locally designed transportation using vehicles, maintenance, funding support and leveraged federal dollars.
- **Connector** — Advance-reservation curb-to-curb trips, primarily serving older adults and people with disabilities and also available under specified conditions to the general public away from fixed routes.
- **ADA Paratransit** — Advance-reservation complementary service for eligible riders with disabilities within the ADA service area around fixed routes.
- **FAST** — Frequent, limited-stop bus service connecting suburban corridors with Detroit, with stops placed roughly one mile apart.
- **SMART Flex** — App- and phone-booked shared microtransit powered by Via, designed for zone travel and first- and last-mile links to fixed routes.
- **Bus Tracker and trip tools** — Digital trip planning, schedules, real-time vehicle information, fare information and online Connector scheduling tools.

## Achievements

- Began regional transit service in 1967 and was reorganized under the SMART name in 1989.
- Launched FAST limited-stop regional corridors in January 2018.
- Launched SMART Flex with Via in March 2021.
- SMART Flex recorded its one-millionth ride in December 2024.
- Fixed-route ridership grew from 6.4 million in 2023 to 7.6 million in 2024, an increase of 17.6% reported at the 2025 State of Transit event.
- More than 7.9 million riders used fixed-route, paratransit and microtransit services in 2025, a reported 10% increase over the prior year.
- Expanded service after Oakland County's 2022 countywide transit millage ended municipal opt-outs there.
- Wayne County voters approved a countywide public transportation millage in August 2026, clearing a path toward wider service.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Wayne County voters passed the county public transportation millage, and SMART published service-expansion information and maps.
- **2026-08** — SMART announced a northern Macomb SMART Flex zone operated with Richmond Lenox EMS and powered by Via, part of a plan to grow Flex from five zones to 11.
- **2026-07** — SMART detailed September service changes, including the launch of Route 500 Mound/Hamtramck and 30-minute weekday frequency plus Saturday service on Route 250.
- **2026-05** — SMART began allowing K-12 and college students with valid student identification to ride fixed-route buses free.
- **2025** — Tiffany J. Gunter became SMART's General Manager and CEO.
- **2024-12** — SMART Flex reached one million cumulative riders.

## Links

- Website: https://smartmovesus.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartmovesus
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SMART_movesus
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MySMARTBus
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartmovesus
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMARTmovesus

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14