By Bernard Parker III, Chief Marketing Officer at SMART
The Wayne County millage is about making Southeast Michigan a true regional transit system where opportunity isn’t limited by which county line you happen to live within.
Right now, 17 communities in Wayne County have citizens who can’t easily travel throughout the region. Those limitations are barriers to opportunity. If you live in one of these areas, your job options shrink to what’s immediately accessible. Your kids can’t easily get to activities across the region. Seniors can’t visit the DIA or catch a movie in Canton without complicated arrangements or expensive rides. College students can’t move freely between campuses and internships.
The millage changes that.
First, seniors get access to care. If you live in Livonia and your doctor is in Farmington Hills, that distance becomes manageable. The same applies to specialists, hospitals, and clinics across the region. Healthcare shouldn’t be limited by county lines.
Second, students gain more freedom by riding the system for free. When SMART extends across the region, students can connect to colleges, internships, and opportunities throughout Southeast Michigan. They can consider whether they want to use that $1,000 monthly car payment and insurance for something else – something that builds their future instead of sitting in parking garages.
Third, workers can actually reach their jobs. A nurse living in an opt-out community can now get to the hospital where she works. An employee in any field can expand their job search beyond what’s immediatelyaccessible by car. When employers realize transit connects the whole region, they’re more willing to invest in Michigan because they know their workforce can actually reach them.
Why This Matters to Everyone
I hear this often: “I drive everywhere, why should I pay for buses?” Because it’s better to have alternatives rather than just one option. There are real benefits to parking your car and riding downtown to see the Pistons while avoiding high parking fees. Back in the day, we had bikes or mopeds as backup. It just makes good sense to have choices, and Southeast Michigan deserves options.
Beyond personal convenience, transit connects people to jobs, strengthens our workforce, and makes our region more competitive. It reduces traffic congestion, increases property values near transit corridors, and helps local businesses by bringing customers from across the region.
Think about your family and friends who use SMART. Students going to Wayne State, Oakland University, and Macomb Community College. Your favorite downtown restaurants that depend on customers from throughout the region. Although we all live in different areas, we all intersect. People want safe, reliable options to move around, and that benefits everyone.
SMART is working hard to keep the trust of the community. We’re improving on-time performance, adding WiFi to buses, keeping buses clean inside and out, rebuilding shelters, and listening to customer recommendations. We’ve invested internally to ensure we have the right people making the right changes that show up externally in better service.
We believe everyone throughout the region is a stakeholder, so we’re actively meeting with riders, non-riders, elected officials, small business owners, and employees. We’re at community events, on the radio, and on social media. We’re showing both the direct and indirect benefits because this matters to everyone.
If this passes, expect better access to employers, regional events, and the airport. We’re looking at how to connect to rail systems, so you’ll see SMART branching out to integrate with every mode of transit.
We’ll stay accountable by doing what we said we’ll do: keep buses clean and on time, improve communication, and deliver reliable service. We’ll show you that your investment works through tangible improvements you can see and experience.
This millage makes Southeast Michigan work better for everyone. It connects communities, expands opportunity, strengthens our economy, and gives people real choices.
We’re hustling for you because we know what’s possible when a region is truly connected. The choice is simple: move forward together as a connected region or fall back to fragmented systems that limit everyone.
Southeast Michigan can compete as a region if we work together. Let’s build it
