Oakland Transit

Coulter: Oakland County Moving Forward on Transit

On November 8, 2022, the residents of Oakland County approved the Oakland County Public Transportation millage.  This voter-approved 10-year, .95 millage is dedicated to maintaining and expanding public transit services throughout Oakland County

"I'm so grateful to the voters of Oakland County who recognized that reliable and accessible public transportation is a critical necessity in all parts of the county," Coulter said. "The task before us now is to work with residents, businesses, organizations, local leaders, and transit providers to ensure a seamless system of transportation that meets the needs of all Oakland County residents."

Since the approval of the transit millage, Oakland County has moved quickly to establish an initial foundation on which to build a better transit system for county residents.

The Board of Commissioners approved a resolution from the County Executive to create a Transit Division within the Economic Development Department.  The division will be staffed with a manager and two transit planners.

The Executive Office is also working with the four current transit providers – Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA), and the Older Persons' Commission (OPC) to put in place contracts for the first phase of the county-wide system.

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On Thursday, February 16, 2023, the Board of Commissioners approved contracts to secure the services of the following transit providers:

SMART

SMART provides a variety of transit services including standard fixed route, FAST (high frequency fixed route), Connector (demand response), ADA Paratransit, Flex (on-demand micro-transit), and Community Partnership Programs.

• This map reflects the current service provided by SMART. 
• Find bus schedules and transportation options at the SMART website.

SMART will maintain these current services in the new contract and in 2023 will work to improve the system by evaluating new micro-transit Flex Service pilot areas, exploring upgrades to dispatch software and technology, expanding fixed bus routes, and conducting an inventory of bus stop amenities throughout the region. 

In addition, SMART will endeavor to increase services in 2023 as follows:

Woodward Avenue

• Improve current routes 450/462 by providing continuous fixed route service along Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills (remove the non-stop area), which may include adding 14 stops and 1 FAST stop at appropriate northbound and southbound locations.
  

Novi

• Extend current route 305 on Grand River from Farmington Hills through Novi to Wixom and add appropriate stops.
• Extend current route 740 on 12 Mile Road from Farmington Hills through Novi to Wixom and add appropriate stops. 
• Extend current route 805 west from Farmington Hills to Novi.
• Provide ADA Paratransit service as required with any new fixed route expansion, which
  

Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake

• Extend current route 851 on Orchard Lake Road north from West Bloomfield through
  

Pontiac and Auburn Hills; Waterford and White Lake Township

• Modify current route 790 to better serve Pontiac and Auburn Hills.
  
• Create new fixed route service from Auburn Hills through Pontiac and continue west through Waterford Township and a portion of White Lake Township.

Rochester

• Create new fixed route service on Rochester Road north from Troy to downtown Rochester and continue west on Walton Blvd through Auburn Hills.
• Provide ADA Paratransit service as required with any new fixed route expansion, which
  

This map illustrates the proposed expansions. Each SMART service expansion will comply with Federal Transportation Administration requirements and may come online at different times during the 2023 calendar year.

OPC: Older Persons' Commission

The Rochester Hills-Oakland-Rochester Older Persons' Commission (OPC) has been providing transportation services for over 40 years to qualifying residents of Rochester Hills, Oakland Township and Rochester. Eligible riders include seniors over 60 and adults with disabilities under 60 along with a companion rider. OPC accommodates trips anywhere in the three communities for medical and personal appointments, work, school, shopping, OPC facility, Oakland University, Troy Beaumont, and Corewell Health complex. The fleet of 24 vehicles provided over 33,000 rides in 2022. 

• The current service map is here.
  
• Schedule your door-to-door minivan ride on the OPC Transportation Service website
  

The contract utilizing Oakland County transit millage funds will preserve these services.  OPC will endeavor to increase services in 2023 as follows:

• Extend hours of service to Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Provide work transportation for seniors and disabled to areas bordering the service footprint.
• Provide medical transport (non-emergency) to seniors and disabled to Troy Beaumont (current practice), Auburn Hills, Unisource Building (Long Lake Rd), and other sites near the current service footprint.
  

NOTA: North Oakland Transportation Authority

The North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) has been providing transportation services since 2001 to qualifying residents of Addison Twp, Oxford Twp, Orion Twp, Lake Orion, Leonard, and Oxford Village. Eligible riders include seniors over 60, people with disabilities, and low-income residents along with a companion rider. NOTA accommodates trips to work, medical appointments, shopping, and community events within the driving boundary. In addition, NOTA operates a trolley with limited service between Downtown Oxford and Downtown Lake Orion. The fleet of 25 vehicles provided 40,897 rides in 2022. 

• The current service map is here.
  
• To schedule a ride with NOTA, visit the Ride NOTA website for information.
  

The contract utilizing Oakland County transit millage funds will preserve these services.  NOTA will endeavor to increase services in 2023 as follows:

• Increase the number of routes and frequency.
• Create a mobile mechanic position to reduce the off-road time NOTA experiences when vehicles are in need of preventative maintenance or repairs.
• Hire and train additional staff (drivers and dispatch).
• Improve and expand the existing parking lot to accommodate new transit vehicles, fuel centers, and electric vehicle charging station infrastructure.
• Begin to implement services in expanded geographic service areas on a limited basis.
  

WOTA: Western Oakland Transportation Authority

The Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA) has been providing transportation services since 2020 to qualifying residents of Highland, Walled Lake, Waterford, and White Lake. Eligible riders include seniors over 55, adults with disabilities, and veterans along with companion riders. WOTA accommodates trips to work, medical appointments, shopping, banking, civic events, entertainment venues, and social activities within the driving boundary. The fleet of 21 vehicles provided over 32,000 rides in 2022. 

• The current service map is here.
• Learn about services and schedules visit the Ride WOTA website for more information.
  

The contract utilizing Oakland County transit millage funds will preserve these services.  WOTA will endeavor to increase services in 2023 as follows:

• Extend hours of service to Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Reduce cost per stop to $2.00 (two dollars) for all riders.
• Include low-income residents as eligible riders.
• Create a mobile mechanic position to reduce the off-road time WOTA experiences when vehicles need preventative maintenance or repairs.
• Purchase (8-12) additional ADA-compliant minivans that will help to expand and improve service.
• Begin to implement services in expanded geographic service areas on a limited basis.