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When students start heading back to school on big yellow school busses Sept. 6, adults in 11 local communities can also start enjoying same day service in Richmond/Lenox EMS shuttle busses.

Richmond/Lenox EMS, in partnership with SMART Bus, will offer same-day services Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They can be obtained by contacting 586-749-7713, or 844-666-5652. Services will be available on a first come, first service basis. Pickup and return trips can be scheduled within 30 minutes of a call. Same-day services are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible, and vehicles do not transport further south than Metro Parkway.

“We go from Bordman Road, north of Macomb County, to Metro Parkway,” Richmond/Lenox EMS Chief Jeff White said.

The following communities are eligible for the service:

White said funding for Richmond/Lenox EMS services comes from the municipal and community credits that Richmond/Lenox EMS receives from SMART, and these are comprised of a portion of the current 1 mill tax assessment. He also said that as with similar services, there is no bus fare for ridership.

“Like all of our other services, there is no cost to the customer,” White said.

White said that shuttle bus services have been rising back to the near the pre-pandemic level of 26,000 riders per year.

“We are not getting the sense that the riders who use our vehicles are doing it for fuel costs, although that’s a great reason to do it. Many of our riders are seniors and the disabled, people that need the service that way. More people are getting out now that COVID is in a more controllable phase, and so with people more comfortable getting out, that is driving our current surge in numbers,” White said, adding that the airport shuttle service is also increasing in popularity.

The same-day service was developed due to requests from patrons.

“We got calls from time to time from riders who needed services in that same day,” White said. “Maybe their vehicle broke down and they needed to get to a physician’s appointment. They kind of woke up and needed to get to a doctor that day, vs. scheduling two or three days from now. Other needs come up. So generally we were not able to accommodate those kinds of requests.”

White added community transit busses were generally filled three days in advance on average, so same day requests were not possible. White also said funding and vehicles were in place for a same day service, and now a recent upswing in employment interest has led to the hiring of some part-time drivers, enabling the same day service to be offered.

A Macomb County Public Transportation Millage is set to appear on the Macomb County Nov. 8 ballot, which would represent a reduction in prior years’ millage rates. If approved, the proposal would assess .95 mills on taxable property for 2022-2026. It would provide continued support for SMART and its public transportation services for the public, senior citizens and the disabled in Macomb County. It would also raise approximately $31.18 million in its first year. If the millage passes, the owner of a $200,000 house would pay approximately $95 the first year.

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