Bloomfield Hills Isn't Taking the SMART Bus

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Bloomfield Hills decided again this week not to hop on the SMART bus, the Detroit metro area’s commuter bus service, voting 3-2 this week not to pay the $750,000 fee to help pay for a service city commissioners said few residents of the affluent suburb use.

More than 50 communities have also opted out, including Novi, Northville, Livonia, Rochester and Plymouth, Hometownlife.com reports. Bloomfield Hills jettisoned the service in 1995.

“It’s mainly been a financial reason – it hasn’t been that these communities are necessarily against mass transit,” Commissioner Sarah McClure said. “In some cases, they found it made more sense to provide their own transportation.”

Representatives from SMART – Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation – said Michigan spends far less $74 per capita, on public transportation than other metropolitan areas. Nationally, communities spend $174 per capita, and in New York, the nation’s largest city, spending soars to $709 per capita.

“As a result, some might argue the millennials are leaving Michigan because there’s no transportation,” said SMART’s Madonna Van Fossen.

McClure said Bloomfield Hills has other priorities – repairing roads and making other infrastructure improvements – that rank higher than investing in public transportation.

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“I’ve lived here 45 years, and this is all humbug,” Don Stuef, a resident of the community that is consistently ranked as one of the richest suburbs in the country, told the commissioners.

“Everybody here has two or three cars in their garage,” he said. “Who’s going to leave their mother standing on Woodward Avenue waiting for a bus? We’re a different community.”

Voting to bring commuter bus service to Bloomfield HIlls were Mayor Michael Dul and Commissioner Pat Hardy, who argued the service would benefit people who commute to Bloomfield Hills for their jobs. Some residents also argued bus service would benefit senior citizens and residents with disabilities.

“When you talk about the cost, somehow all these other communities can afford it,” Dr. Paul von Oeyen said at the meeting. “Yes, if you live in a multimillion-dollar home, of course, it will cost you more ... sometimes I think we need to be more aware of others.”

Joining SMART would cost most Bloomfield Hills homeowners $300 to $400 a year in additional taxes.