SMART is shaking up its Oakland County service this spring, rolling out a brand-new fixed route to Wixom while trimming back underused service elsewhere. The changes kick in April 20 and include a fresh connection for downtown Wixom and Walled Lake, tighter crosstown links, and the quiet retirement of one low-ridership line. The agency says the overhaul is aimed at stitching together jobs, shopping spots, and health-care hubs across the county with fewer gaps and easier transfers.
New Wixom route and hours
Beginning April 20, the new Route 350 will run every 50 minutes, Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Buses will start and end at Haggerty at Crumb outside the Commerce Meijer, with a later extension planned into the Commerce Walmart lot. SMART notes this service was previously floated as Route 750 and that a full stop list will show up in trip-planning apps shortly before launch. According to SMART, riders should also expect some minor schedule fine-tuning across the system on April 20.
Extensions, eliminations and what riders will notice
Several existing lines are getting stretched to improve handoffs between routes. Route 430 will be pushed north along Crooks and Auburn so it can meet Route 790 at the Adams Road Meijer/Walmart, and Route 494 will be extended north to connect with Route 492 at Rochester and Auburn. At the same time, Route 796 (Perry-Opdyke) will be shut down because of low ridership and overlapping coverage, with SMART setting April 17 as its final day in service. Riders along those corridors are being urged to double-check headsigns and transfer points, since some stops are being removed or nudged to new locations. As reported by FOX 2 Detroit, a few local routes will also see modest span improvements in select areas.
Wayfinding and small fixes
SMART is also testing out a small but noticeable visual tweak on its FAST limited-stop corridors. The pilot will add boxed route numbers on bus headsigns so riders can more easily pick out express service from a distance at busy stops. The trial is scheduled to run from April 20 through June 2026, while the agency watches how the door-side displays work at crowded locations before deciding whether to keep the change. SMART says the wayfinding test is meant to cut down on confusion where FAST and local buses share stops and to help riders make quick boarding decisions during the rush. See SMART for details.
Officials frame the changes
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter called the update more than a simple route tweak, saying, "Public transit is about more than getting to a destination, it is about connecting people to opportunity," and describing the Wixom addition as one more step toward a better-connected county. SMART General Manager Tiffany Gunter added that moving service into growing communities like Wixom will make it easier for riders to reach jobs, schools, and health care. The comments appeared in local coverage of the service changes, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit.
How to plan your trip
Riders are being encouraged to study updated route maps and timetables before the April 20 shakeup and to keep an eye on trip-planning apps for the new stop lists that will go live a few days ahead of launch. Diana McBroom, who helped guide the proposal through the process, said the new Route 350 didn’t happen by accident; it happened because we listened and built a route that answers that call. For a complete breakdown of what is changing, see The Oakland Press.
