Do you know about these discontinued SMART routes?

[mtburb]

I need to know if any of you remember these bus routes:

#110, #120 [[did SMART carry that on?), #130, #185, #201, #295, #297, #315, #410 [[specifically the second incarnation that existed between 1997-2006), #435, #440 [[same question as #120), #455 [[same question as #120 and #440), #470, #473 [[same question as #120, #440 and #455), #478-#488 [[did SMART even continue these?), #490 [[same question as #120, #440, #455 and #473) #499, #500 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473 and #490), #535 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473, #490 and #500), #540 [[I wonder if people got more scared of Hall Road after that was discontinued in 2002?), #625 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473, #490, #500 and #535), #630 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473, #490, #500, #535 and #625), #700 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473, #490, #500, #535, #625 and #630) #715 [[same question as #120, #440, #455, #473, #490, #500, #535, #625, #630 and #700), #810 and #820.

And off-topic: When exactly did SMART stop serving Novi, Northville, Plymouth, Bloomfield Hills, Lathrup Village and Canton Township, did SMART ever serve Woodhaven, Brownstown Township and Flat Rock and when did SMART become an all-Gillig low-floor-bus system?

[JenniferL]

I don't think the 410 exists anymore. 435, 440, and 470 are gone. The 455 limited is still around. I'm not familiar with any of the others.

[Russix]

#305 Grand River

[gameguy56]

#305 Grand River

It is being discontinued? Since when?

[cramerro]

Off the top of my head,

810 and 820 were two similar park and ride routes that served Livonia and Farmington via I-96. When Livonia opted out, the merged them into a new 805 park and ride that runs on I-96 and then turns up Beech Daly in Redford and then goes up Grand River to Halstead.

Bloomfield Hills is opt-out and specifically prohibits SMART buses from stopping along Woodward. They also have voted down spending money to install sidewalks along Woodward several times, which limits the ability to run bus service anyway. People who work along Woodward in BH who use SMART get on/off just outside the city limits to the north or south and then have to walk along the grass/curb to get to thier job.

Most of the SMART 'stop serving' questions are simply that they stopped as soon as they started using a milage to fund the system. The milage allowed them to purchase the buses with thier own money, as they weren't having any luck finding Federal or State funds to purchase them in the early 2000's. Once they had a milage, they stopped serving the newly-minted opt-out communities. Livonia opted out later, which was the time they stopped serving Livonia. Farmington Hills almost opted out last year, but changed thier minds at the last minute at one of the few meetings I have ever heard of where so many people who support something [[keeping SMART) turned out to make sure they were heard.

SMART became all-Gillig low-floor as of 2003. They purchased all 280 of their buses at once, taking delivery in 2001, 2002, 2003. They had some low-floor before that but as of 2003 the whole fleet was those Gillig low-floor 30-40'.

[Danny]

And off-topic: When exactly did SMART stop serving Novi, Northville, Plymouth


Those townships and villages OPT-OUT of SMART since 1990.

Livonia OPT-OUT of SMART since 2007. This is because of the Super-Wal-Mart atthe former Wonderland Mall Site controversy. Concern white neighbors in Livoniahad worry about the influx of Black employees working in Plymouth Rd. to Levanindustrial corridor. More jobs from blacks in those corridors would lead to buya home in their neighborhoods creating another black community in South Livoniaarea. So they made some kind of political scheme to get Livonia voters toOPT-OUT SMART from its main roads. The Livonia City Council will tell Livonianthat they don't have 3 Million Dollars to pay for the Wayne County TransitAuthority that delivers its dollars to SEMCOG thus to SMART. The OPT-OUT votewas passed 55% to 46%. And SMART was kept out of Livonia for good.

Farmington Hills tried to OPT-OUT SMART twice in 2009 and 2011 but failed dueto heavy Park and Ride supporters.

[mtburb]

Well, since the last new reply in this thread, I've discovered that the eliminations of #295 [[which ran along Plymouth Road), #297 [[which was a rush-hour-only route along Industrial Drive, just north of Plymouth Road) and #315 [[which connected the city of Detroit's only Kmart with the Livonia Mall), as well as route #285 being split into two new routes [[#280 and the now-discontinued #385) were also all due to the Livonia opt-out.

Just today, I've discovered that back in the 2003-04 season, SMART ran a "Pistons Express" service. Does anyone actually remember that?

[KJ5]

Too many hashtags in the OP. My head is spinning.

[That Great Guy]

And off-topic: When exactly did SMART stop serving Novi, Northville, Plymouth


Those townships and villages OPT-OUT of SMART since 1990.

Livonia OPT-OUT of SMART since 2007. This is because of the Super-Wal-Mart atthe former Wonderland Mall Site controversy. Concern white neighbors in Livoniahad worry about the influx of Black employees working in Plymouth Rd. to Levanindustrial corridor. More jobs from blacks in those corridors would lead to buya home in their neighborhoods creating another black community in South Livoniaarea. So they made some kind of political scheme to get Livonia voters toOPT-OUT SMART from its main roads. The Livonia City Council will tell Livonianthat they don't have 3 Million Dollars to pay for the Wayne County TransitAuthority that delivers its dollars to SEMCOG thus to SMART. The OPT-OUT votewas passed 55% to 46%. And SMART was kept out of Livonia for good.

Farmington Hills tried to OPT-OUT SMART twice in 2009 and 2011 but failed dueto heavy Park and Ride supporters.

It was $2.5 Million per year in operating cuts from taxes on fuel that caused this.

SMART would have removed the large buses anyway even if Livonia did not opt out.

Danny, unless you or me or someone can come with a way to pay for public bus service that most of us are willing to pay for and afford, we can just kiss having a decent reliable mass transit system good bye in Greater Detroit.

Livonia now has mostly third world country jobs with pay that SUCKS and 2 public transit systems that cost too much and can't fight the cuts from the MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION to save their asses, so they hold Tin Cups out begging for spare change at City Hall.

The good paying auto jobs are gone in Livonia, replaced by Wal-Marts

[dtowncitylover]

mtburb, per that Old SMART maps thread, I learned that the #435 was Crooks Rd. route from the Royal Oak Transit Center to Somerset Mall [[?). That ended in 1995. If you're still looking for any of these routes, maybe look there?