SMART launches cooling buses amid heat wave in Southeast Michigan

With dangerously high temperatures expected over the next few days in Southeast Michigan, SMART is rolling out its cooling buses to give people a place to escape the heat. 

SMART says 184 people used the buses on the first day, and the five-day program is expected to cost about $11,700.

"This is serious. If you have heart issues, if you're a senior, if you have disabilities, providing some relief from this heat, absolutely. If we have helped 10 customers, we've done our job," said SMART CEO Tiffany J. Gunter.

SMART says the buses are already part of its existing fleet, helping keep program costs down. Leaders say they track ridership daily and place the buses at existing transit hubs where riders are already waiting.

"I've seen a lot of people just come together just to get out of the heat. We're all here trying to help each other out, so I love it when people come up to my bus, and then they ask, 'Hey, can I come in?' I'm like, 'Of course,'" said bus operator Taejaun Thomas.

SMART says the program's value goes beyond ridership alone.

"Extreme temperatures can be so harmful to an individual that doesn't have a place to get relief, and so I would say we're doing, I believe, the right thing with a public resource," said Gunter.

Officials plan to continue tracking ridership as the program continues through Friday.