September 21, 2015 (Highland Park, MI) - SMART and the city of Highland Park will celebrate the introduction of a new bus at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00am at the Gabrielle Apartments located at 14201 Second Avenue, Highland Park, MI 48203. The new bus is a replacement vehicle to transport senior citizens to their choice of destinations, allowing them a continued quality of life and freedom of independence. Attendees at the event include Mayor DeAndre Windom, City Council members, riders of the bus service and SMART staff.
Through the SMART Community Partnership Program (CPP), communities have access to funding and SMART resources to help operate local community transit programs. The CPP helps local municipalities provide community transit programs for their residents and supports a variety of transit needs including: operating expenses, bus purchases, maintenance, loaner vehicles and technical assistance to help communities develop, design and operate service.
“SMART plays an important role with communities like Highland Park in supporting their local transit programs for their residents, helping them get to medical appointments, work and school,” said SMART General Manager John Hertel, “Through our Community Partnership Program, SMART is able to bring federal dollars back to the community to ensure seniors and people with disabilities have access to the transit services they need.”
The Highland Park bus is operated by Peoples Community Service. The new bus serves as replacement vehicle and is equipped with a wheelchair lift to accommodate disabled passengers and has seating for 13 passengers. The new bus has a 6.8 liter diesel engine for better mileage. Peoples Community uses the bus four days a week to transport older adults and people with disabilities to medical appointments, the clinic, grocery shopping and other trips as needed.
“It’s always a pleasure to add a valued service to our most cherished citizens, our seniors. The City of Highland Park would like to thank SMART for their contribution to our ongoing mission of ensuring Highland Park is an Age- Friendly city. Enhanced quality of life for the seniors is another step toward the Rebirth of Highland Park”
-Mayor DeAndre Windom
SMART provides each CPP funding through Community Credits in which a portion of the transit property tax is returned to local communities for operating and or capital purchases. SMART also acts as the fiduciary agent for the State Municipal Credit Program. Approximately $6.5 million annually has been redistributed by SMART via municipal and community credit programs to the area’s community-based transit programs.
Serving since 1967, SMART is southeast Michigan’s only regional public transportation provider, offering convenient, reliable and safe transportation for Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties. SMART offers a family of transit services, including fixed route and small bus services as well as support for local transportation programs to connect people to employment and educational institutions, medical appointments and shopping centers. Through SMART’s small bus programs, over one million rides are provided to seniors and people with disabilities annually. SMART is supported by federal and state funding, local contributions through a transit property tax millage from opt-in communities and bus fares. For routes and fare information, visit www.smartbus.org or call Customer Service at 866-962-5515.
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