Oakland County Commissioners approve new public transit contracts, expansion underway
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Residents in Oakland County will see transit services expand later this year after the county Board of Commissioners has approved contracts with four public transportation providers - SMART, North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA), and the Older Persons' Commission (OPC).
This comes after voters approved a countywide transportation millage in November.
"It's going to result in increased service, more hours to serve more people," said David T. Woodward, chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
NOTA, WOTA, and OPC will increase their hours of operation, add more destinations, and make fares $2 per ride in their service areas.
SMART will explore service expansions in Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Keego Harbor, Novi, Orchard Lake, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Sylvan Lake, Troy, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake, and Wixom.
County commissioners also voted Thursday night to create a $500,000 local transit reimbursement program. Communities that have a current contract or have already budgeted for public transportation services provided between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 may submit semi-annual reimbursement requests with performance reports detailing ridership, services provided, and expenditures.
"The first year for communities that have been digging into their own pockets to provide some minimal level of service as we build a transit service that reaches everyone," Woodward said.
Pending the SMART Board of Director's approval of the Oakland County Transit Contract and the required public hearing processes necessary for route changes and expansions, SMART proposed service expansions include:
- Novi, Farmington Hills, and Wixom by extending route 305 along Grand River, route 740 on 12 Mile Road, and route 805 west from Farmington Hills to Novi
- Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Waterford, and White Lake by creating new fixed route 759 along M-59
- Troy, Rochester Hills, Rochester, and Auburn Hills by creating a new fixed route 492 on Rochester Road and Walton Boulevard
- Bloomfield Hills by providing fixed route service along Woodward and adding stops in northbound and southbound lanes
- West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor, and Sylvan Lake by extending route 851 to the north on Orchard Lake Road
- Auburn Hills and Pontiac by modifying route 790 to better serve both communities
All fixed route expansion routes will provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service.
According to the county, in the $68.2 million Oakland County Transit Millage, SMART will receive $41.7 million, WOTA more than $3.4 million, NOTA more than $2.8 million, and OPC more than $1.9 million.
