DETROIT – Expanded bus service on Woodward and Gratiot avenues will launch during the Labor Day weekend, connecting the City of Detroit with the suburbs with a new service called Reflex.
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) partnered with the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA) to launch the limited-stop service.
Recommended Videos
Mayor Mike Duggan and leaders from DDOT make an official announcement at 1:30 p.m. at St. John Hospital.
“The new reflex service will allow many Detroit and suburban residents a transfer-free ride to and from suburban and Detroit jobs. It will also significantly cut their travel time,” DDOT director Dan Dirks said. “That is a very good thing.”
The Woodward Reflex route will run from Campus Martius to Mt. Clemens and the Gratiot Reflex route will offer four daily east side connections to Midtown. A total of 12 stops are expected along the routes.
“Staff at both SMART and DDOT have spent many months collaborating and working together to bring the Reflex service to fruition,” SMART general manager John C. Hertel said. “The extended service hours ensure that riders can get where they need to go any day of the week, day or night.”
The new routes will run weekdays from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The expanded service follows the regional master transit plan that voters will see on the ballot in November.
“This service is a great start to this new era of coordinated, regional transit and works to solving one of the greatest challenges that our region faces: getting people across the city lines to jobs,” RTA CEO Michael Ford said. “I am proud to see this become a reality and thankful for our partner provides SMART and DDOT for their hard work and dedicated planning over the past several months. This will be a valuable opportunity for riders in our community.”