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Support Countywide Transit Investment in Wayne County!

/ millage, SMART, transit funding, Wayne County

In August 2026, Wayne County voters will have a chance to expand public transit countywide.

Wayne County will vote on a ballot proposal that will extend this essential service countywide. TRU strongly supports this proposal as an important step towards a better-connected region and a more prosperous County.

Today, ~350,000 Wayne County residents have little to no options to get around if they can’t drive. Public transit helps the economy, the
environment, public health, and the elderly and disabled folks!

Do you support transit throughout Wayne County? Take the pledge!

Currently, many Wayne County communities have little or no public transit.

A new state law has eliminated “opt-outs,” so all of Wayne County will vote as a whole in 2026 on a transit millage.

In outlying parts of Wayne County, some municipalities “opted out” of SMART service when the current system was established in the mid-1990s. (Livonia was once part of the system but “opted out” in 2005.)

As a result, these suburbs (shown in light blue at left) receive no regional transit service and most provide very little transit for their residents, despite growing need.

In August 2026, however, all County residents will get to vote on a countywide transit millage to fund transit.

Map of metro Detroit opt-in and op-out SMART communities, with fixed route transit lines mapped. Oakland and Macomb Counties are fully opt-in, and Detroit has DDOT service. However, many communities in Wayne County op-out of SMART service, and bus lines stop near their borders

What is a transit millage?

Millages are property taxes based on a home’s value, generally approved by voters. They help fund services like:

Public services listed like police and fire departments, public transit, sanitation and public health, and public schools and libraries

Millages provide essential services to our community.

What would my community get out of the millage?

Communities across Wayne County would get a variety of new services, tailored to their needs, as seen in the map above. View the entire evaluation on SMART’s website at https://www.smartbus.org/About/News/wayne-county-service-proposal.

  • If you live in a suburban community that already has SMART service:
    • You will gain new connections to Wayne county communities that don’t have bus service right now, at no additional cost for you!
    • These are: Allen Park, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Garden City, the Grosse Pointes & Harper Woods, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Inkster, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Redford, Riverview, River Rouge, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, Westland, Wyandotte,
  • If you live in a suburban or rural area without SMART service:
    • Your community will gain new and extended bus routes, and/or improved paratransit and micro-transit service.
    • These are: Brownstown, Canton, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron Twp., Livonia, Northville, Northville Twp., Plymouth, Plymouth Twp, Rockwood, Sumpter Twp, Van Buren, Van Buren Twp., and Woodhaven.
  • If you live in Detroit:
    • You will gain enhanced DDOT service, potentially including increased frequency and service hours.
    • Additionally, Detroiters will gain access to more services, jobs, schools, and communities in the suburbs.

What would a transit millage cost?

A 1-mill tax costs the owner of a $200,000 home about 8 dollars per month.

If you live in a suburban community that already has SMART service, you will see no additional tax.

How can I help?

  • Take the pledge that you support Wayne countywide transit!
  • Tell your elected officials you care about transit, and talk to friends and family about the proposal
  • Vote in the election in August.
  • Connect with TRU and join our Wayne County Transit Task Force! Get involved with us!