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Let’s Connect
Wayne County

On August 4th, Wayne County will decide whether every resident should have the freedom to choose affordable transportation options that work for them.

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Right Now,
Wayne County is Disconnected

  • 350,000 people in Wayne County have few or no options to get around if they’re unable to drive.
  • Tens of thousands of people cannot drive, whether due to age, disability, law, or cost.
  • Current local transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities severely limit where and when they can get around.
  • Many employers struggle to hire and keep workers, despite people being willing to work.

We can connect Wayne county with countywide public transit!

Countywide Public Transit Will Benefit Every Community

Enable Seniors to Stay in their Homes

Michigan’s population is aging. An expanded network of buses, on-demand rides, and senior shuttles providing door-to-door rides throughout the region will mean seniors can age in their homes with dignity and independence. 

Happy woman on a mobility scooter being buckled into a bus by the bus driver

Help People with Disabilities to Get Around

Many people whose disabilities bar them from driving have to depend on others to get around. An effective regionally-connected transit system will enable our neighbors with disabilities to access jobs, healthcare, social opportunities and improve their quality of life. 

Support Young People

Many younger people can’t afford to drive or don’t want to be dependent on a car. By expanding transit throughout Wayne County, students and recent grads will have more affordable opportunities and be less likely to move to other cities.  

Connect Students and Workers to Jobs and Opportunities

Connecting people to work and school gives them the opportunity to succeed. For low income families who can’t afford a car (or an extra car), expanded transit means the door to a better life is open.

Countywide Transit will Provide Many Mobility Options

Major commercial corridors across Wayne County will have new bus routes and several; existing routes will be extended through suburban communities, connecting workers with jobs and shoppers to local businesses.
1.

New and Extended Bus Routes

Senior citizens and neighbors with disabilities will be able to get rides from their homes to healthcare, work, shopping, family, and other destinations throughout the region, without being limited by township boundaries.
2.

Door-to-Door Rides for Seniors and People with Disabilities

Less populated areas like southwest Wayne will have on-demand Flex service, like a cheaper Uber or taxi. This service will connect local residents of all ages to local destinations and nearby bus routes.
3.

On-Demand Flex Transit for Southwest Wayne

Every dollar raised by the Wayne County Transit Authority will be invested directly in service in Wayne County. Every township and city will benefit from more options and more connections.
4.

Wayne County Investment in Wayne County Communities

Whether you ride or not, we all depend on someone who needs transit. Nurses, day care workers, janitors, waiters, and many others. Making it easier for them to get around benefits you, even if you never ride the bus
5.

Better Connections Benefit Everyone

Countywide transit would only cost the average household $8 a month… and if you’re in a suburb that already has SMART bus service, you’ll get expanded connections at no additional cost.
6.

All at a Modest Cost

How Would Countywide Transit Expansion Work?

Countywide transit will be overseen by the Wayne County Transit Authority, which was created under the Public Transportation Authority Act of 1986 (PA 196). It is managed by a board consisting of elected leaders throughout Wayne County.

If approved by voters, the Wayne County Transit Authority would tax each household at a rate of 0.9831 mils, or about $0.98 for every thousand dollars of home’s taxable value. For a home worth $200,000, that’s about $8 a month.

For homeowners in suburban communities who already receive SMART service, like Dearborn, Westland, Wyandotte, and Grosse Pointe, this is purely a renewal, no increase in tax rate.

The Wayne County Transit Authority will distribute funds to public transit providers including SMART, DDOT, Nankin Transit, and Liv&Go (all public services). Money raised in Detroit will fund enhanced DDOT service.

Local funding will be matched by the state at a rate of about 30 cents for every dollar! Not only does this mean local dollars invested in your community, it means more funding from Lansing in your community.

The Voices of Our Community

“I just want the people in our community, the differently abled community, to have the same rights and access that other people do.”

Kim Snider

Livonia resident

“When you’re going to hire more prospective employees, easy transportation is a plus.”

Terry Wagner

Livonia business owner

“Transit is crucial for students and their families to ensure connection to education and the rest of their community.”

Darienne Hudson

Ali Iqbal

Brownstown resident & Wayne State student

A young white couple smiling on a bus

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