Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation timeline 1989-1998

A timeline of Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation-related events that took place between January 17, 1989 and December 31, 1998.

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Typical SMART vehicles used during this period

TMC RTS-06
30-foot Gillig Phantom

1989

SMART receives five Grumman Flxible 870 53102-8-1s from Bay Metro Transit.

January

January 17, 1989 - Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority is renamed SMART.

1990

SMART receives four Grumman Flxible 870 53102-8-1s from Bay Metro Transit and 33 TMC RTS-08 T80-208s.
Sunday service is launched on route 250.
Routes 510 and 560 begin operating hourly on Sundays.

January

January 2, 1990 - SMART replaces the Pontiac Arrow route with six separate routes running on hourly headways.

1991

July

July 1, 1991 - Eight routes contracted to ATE Management & Services launch: 115, 265, 300, 400, 492, 494, 520 and 730. These routes, except for route 115, will eventually be operated directly by SMART. Of these, only routes 400, 494 and 730 continue operating today.

1992

SMART receives 25 Gillig Phantom 40' buses.

June

June 1992 - Route 115 is discontinued, partially replaced by an extension to route 265.

1993

SMART receives 67 TMC RTS-06 T80-206s, two TMC RTS-07 T80-207s and 23 Gillig Phantom 35' buses.

April

April 1, 1993 - A standard $1.50 fare, which went into effect on Saturdays and Sundays under SEMTA in 1988, replaces the zone system on weekdays. This fare remained unchanged until rising to $2.00 in 2010.

1994

SMART receives 23 TMC RTS-06 T80-206s.
Early 1994 - Spearheaded by then-Detroit mayor Dennis Archer, SMART and the Detroit Department of Transportation begin standardizing equipment and software between both agencies.

January

January 1, 1994 - SMART's deficit reaches $7.7 million as a result of financial issues that began under SEMTA, putting the agency's future in jeopardy.

June

June 9, 1994 - SMART assumes direct operation of routes 265, 300, 400, 492, 494, 520 and 730 after ATE drivers join the Amalgamated, causing the costs of privatization to disappear.
June 25, 1994 - SMART takes over operation of DDOT's Jefferson and Michigan routes, while DDOT takes over operation of SMART routes 125, 130, 150 and 495.

1995

SMART retires the last remaining buses inherited from SEMTA, as well as the nine 870s.

March

March 7, 1995 - SMART requests an 0.33-mill property tax, which SMART claimed would be used to eliminate the deficit in five years and to cut little-used service within Detroit so that emphasis would be put on new service within the suburbs. Macomb County approves a countywide referendum, while individual cities in Oakland and Wayne Counties approve as well, though Bloomfield Hills and Novi vote no on the referendum and opt out of SMART, resulting in a non-stop zone on Woodward Avenue through Bloomfield Hills and the discontinuation of service to Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. Four-year extensions are approved in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and most recently in 2014, with the rate currently 1.00-mill.

April

April 1, 1995 - Owing to DDOT's response to the property tax, SMART and DDOT resume operating their respective routes on Fort, Michigan, John R. and Jefferson.

May

May 1995 - Canton Township, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Plymouth, Plymouth Township and Woodhaven opt out of SMART, affecting four routes. 110 lost morning rush hour service to the Ford Woodhaven Stamping Plant, 810 was cut back from the Ford Sheldon Road Assembly plant in Plymouth to Madonna University in Livonia, 830 was cut back from downtown Flat Rock to Fort Street and Van Horn Road in Trenton and 835 was cut back from the Meijer store in Canton Township to Westland City Hall.

June

June 1995 - SMART receives 65 Nova Bus RTS-06 T80-206s, however, only 32 are placed in service, with the rest immediately sold to DDOT, as well as 85 Champion Centurians.

December

December 11, 1995 - The first stage of a restructuring plan is put into place. Ten routes are discontinued, five new routes begin service and other service changes are implemented. The changes were:
- Routes 130, 265, 435, 470, 492, 499 and 520 are discontinued.
- Route 835 is replaced by route 255.
- Routes 165, 295, 405 and 780 are launched.
- Route 110 becomes a weekday-rush-hour-only route. To compensate, all non-weekday-rush-hour service on route 125 is rerouted via West Jefferson Avenue through River Rouge and Ecorse and back to Fort Street via Outer Drive and all non-weekday-rush-hour service on route 185 is extended from Ecorse to West and Grange Roads in Trenton via West Jefferson.
- Route 285 is extended north from Schoolcraft Road to the Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge Campus Hub.
- Routes 240, 250 and 260 are cut back from the Renaissance Center in Detroit to Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.
- Routes 730 and 740 are each extended west from Royal Oak to Telegraph Road in Southfield and Haggerty Road in Farmington Hills respectively.

1996

April

April 1, 1996 - Routes 275, 465 and 865 are launched.

June

June 1, 1996 - The SMART/DDOT Regional Pass, which had been possible since 1994, debuts.
June 17, 1996 - West Bloomfield Township opts back into SMART, resulting in extensions to routes 405 and 851, while SMART receives permission from the Wayne County Road Commission to operate service into Detroit Metropolitan Airport, also resulting in an extension to route 165. Route 285 is also extended both north into West Bloomfield and south into Metro Airport.

August

August 1996 - Bloomfield Township opts back into SMART, resulting in a westward extension of route 780 from Birmingham to Orchard Lake Road and the relaunches of routes 440 and 445. As of 2014, though, Bloomfield Hills is still an opt-out community.
August 1996 - Outdoor Systems replaces Gannett Outdoor as the advertisement provider on SMART.

November

November 4, 1996 - Service changes take effect:
- Route 275 is extended north from 14 Mile Road to the Phoenix Center Hub.
- Route 510 begins operating half-hourly instead of hourly in midday hours.