Suburban Detroit Achieves Long-Awaited Bus Service Expansion

Novi and Bloomfield Hills in Southeast Michigan will have transit service for the first time in 28 years.

1 minute read

September 13, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


A sign for SMART Bus on a pole.

Davslens Photography / Adobe Stock

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) launched a significant expansion of bus service in its Southeast Michigan service area earlier this week—totaling 68 new bus stops, route exchanges, and route changes.

Most of the changes are occurring in Novi, Wixom, and Bloomfield Hills, according to an article by Anne Runkle for the Oakland Press. “This marks the first time in 28 years that Novi and Bloomfield Hills will have transit services and the inaugural introduction of fixed route transit service in Wixom, the release said,” reports Runkle.

The source article, linked below, includes specific details of the route changes and new stops. Voters enabled the changes by approving a transit millage in November 2022. Regional transit has always struggled to gain political support in the Detroit area. A similar transit millage fell just short of approval in 2016, for example.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 in The Oakland Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

46 minutes ago - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

4 hours ago - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Blue train on coastal rail in Southern California.

SoCal Leaders Debate Moving Coastal Rail Line

Train tracks running along the Pacific Ocean are in danger from sea level rise, but residents are divided on how to fix the problem.

March 7 - The New York Times