According to SMART:
SMART is posting the highest ridership since its formation in 1967!
SMART carried more than 44,000 passengers daily for the month of April. Weekend service on SMART is also at its peak. Overall, ridership on the Fixed Route system has increased more than 6.5% from this time last year.
“With gas prices at an all-time high, people are choosing to park their cars in the driveway and ride the bus,” said Hayes W. Jones, SMART general manager. “We haven’t seen ridership like this since the early eighties.”
Routes along Gratiot and Woodward are requiring expanded service with more frequency to accommodate standing loads. Weekend ridership is also experiencing record numbers with an 14% increase on Sundays and a 10.4% increase on Saturdays year to date.
“The price of gas is a huge deficit for most families. We charge $1.50 a trip…the best deal in town and we can get you anywhere you need to go,” said Jones. For less than the cost of a tank of gas, people have access to SMART’s system which covers more than 1200 square miles.
If you’re fed up with gas prices and considering the bus, check out SMART’s trip planning tools or Google Transit to figure out your route and schedule.