Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority
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Area served | Detroit suburbs, MI |
Founded | 1967 |
Defunct | January 17, 1989 |
1989 Fleet Size | 204 fixed-route buses |
Number of routes in 1989 | 43 |
Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority or SEMTA was formed in 1967, during a period in which transit agencies in the Detroit suburbs experienced massive declining ridership on routes into downtown Detroit following the 1967 Detroit Riots. Between 1971 and 1975 they acquired the four transit systems (Great Lakes Transit Corporation, Lake Shore Coach Lines, Metropolitan Transit & Martin Lines) operating in the Detroit suburbs, and in 1977 acquired Grand Trunk Western Railroad (now Canadian National Railway)'s Detroit-Pontiac commuter train, discontinuing it in 1983. It also operated local transit in Port Huron, Michigan from 1976 to 1988 and Monroe, Michigan from 1980 to 1989, using the same names currently in use by those systems but with SEMTA logos and liveries featuring those names.
Towards the end of the 1980's, SEMTA would find itself unable to provide a regional transportation plan as politics and race relations continued to disassociate the surrounding suburbs from the city of Detroit. Other factors in making it viewed as ineffective included the failure to merge with the Detroit Department of Transportation, mismanagement of the Detroit People Mover project and the demonstration of disinterest by the rural outer counties in supporting any transit service to Detroit. On December 7, 1988, Public Act 204 (the same act that created SEMTA in 1967) was amended by the state legislature and on January 17, 1989, SEMTA became SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation), which was a smaller three-county agency which excluded Detroit. To this date, there is still no commuter train service in the Detroit area, despite many attempts to restart service.
Routes
SEMTA operated the following routes on January 17, 1989, when it became SMART.
- 110 West Jefferson/Biddle
- 125 Fort Street/Eureka Road
- 130 Fort Street/Kennebec
- 150 Taylor-Detroit
- 185 Westland-Ecorse
- 200 Michigan Avenue
- 240 Westland-Detroit via Cherry Hill
- 250 Westland-Detroit via Ford Road
- 260 Westland-Detroit via Warren Road
- 285 Middlebelt
- 415 Greenfield
- 420 Greenfield/Southfield
- 430 Main Street
- 435 Crooks Road
- 440 Maple & Telegraph Local via Woodward
- 445 Maple & Telegraph Limited via Woodward
- 450 Woodward Local/Pontiac
- 460 Woodward Local/Somerset
- 470 Berkley-Detroit
- 475 Troy Limited
- 495 John R
- 499 Hilton/Rochester
- 510 Van Dyke
- 530 Schoenherr
- 550 Garfield
- 560 Gratiot
- 580 Harper
- 610 Kercheval/Harper
- 615 Kercheval/Jefferson
- 620 Charlevoix
- 625 Charlevoix/Jefferson
- 630 East Jefferson/Grosse Pointe
- 635 Jefferson Express
- 710 Nine Mile
- 740 Twelve Mile
- 750 Pontiac Arrow
- 760 Thirteen Mile/Fourteen Mile
- 810 & 820 Livonia Park & Ride
- 830 Downriver Park & Ride
- 835 Ford Road Park & Ride
- 851 West Bloomfield/Farmington Hills Park & Ride
All-Time Fleet Roster
Bus
Bought new
Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1521-1568 | 1975 | GMC | T6H-5307A | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison | To SMART, same numbers. | |
1801-1878 | ![]() |
1978 | GMC | RTS-03 (TH-8203) |
Detroit Diesel 8V71T | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. |
7901-7936 | 1979 | GMC | RTS-03 (T8H-203) |
Detroit Diesel 8V71T | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. | |
7951-7959 | 1979 | GMC | RTS-03 (T7W-203) |
Detroit Diesel 6V71T | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. | |
8001-8050 | ![]() |
1980 | GMC | RTS-03 (T8H-203) |
Detroit Diesel 8V71T | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. |
8201-8215 | 1982 | GMC | RTS-04 (T8J-204) |
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. | |
8401-8416 | 1984 | Flxible | Metro "A" (40102-6T) |
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA | Allison V730 | To SMART, same numbers. |
Acquired from other agencies
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Terminal | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
103-105 | 1962 | GMC | PD-4106 | Detroit Diesel 8V71 | Manual 4-speed | ? | Ex-Greyhound 1091, 1100 & 1106; bought in 1974. | ||
425-429 | 1965 | GMC | TDH-4519 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison VH | Rollsign | Ex-Evanston Bus Company 331-335; bought in 1973. | ||
430 | 1955 | GMC | TDH-5105 | Rollsign | Ex-Detroit Street Railway 1310; bought in 1971. | ||||
431-435 | 1956 | GMC | TDH-5105 | Rollsign | Ex-Detroit Street Railway 1399, 1404, 1410, 1414 & 1444; bought in 1971. | ||||
436-439 | 1957 | GMC | TDH-5105 | Rollsign | Ex-Detroit Street Railway 1494, 1506, 1509 & 1512; bought in 1971. | ||||
442 | 1957 | GMC | TDH-5105 | Rollsign | Ex-Detroit Street Railway 1538; bought in 1972. | ||||
1231-1234 | 1962 | GMC | PD-4106 | Detroit Diesel 8V71 | Manual 4-speed | ? | Ex-Greyhound unknown number, 1069, 1111 & 1114; bought in 1974. | ||
1322 | 1963 | GMC | TDH-4519 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison VH | Rollsign | Ex-Chicago and Calumet District Transit Company 1322; bought in 1975. | ||
1519 | 1965 | GMC | TDH-4519 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison VH | Rollsign | Ex-Chicago and Calumet District Transit Company 1519; bought in 1975. | ||
1733 | 1967 | GMC | TDH-4519 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison | Rollsign | Ex-Huskie Line 1733; bought in 1975. | ||
2128 | 1961 | GMC | TDH-4517 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison VH | Rollsign | Ex-?; bought in 1975. | ||
1338-1347 | 1961 | GMC | TDH-4517 | Detroit Diesel 6V71N | Allison VH | Rollsign | Ex-Chicago and Calumet District Transit Company 2155-2164; bought in 1974 for Great Lakes Transit. |
Demo roster
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Terminal | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | 1974 | MAN | SG-192 | Demo'd July 1974. | |||||
? | 1980 | Crown Ikarus | 286 | Demo'd November 1981. |
Blue Water Area Transit
Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S550-S558 | 1980 | OBI | Orion I (01.501) |
Photo |
Lake Erie Transit
Commuter Rail
Locomotives
Fleet Number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
901-902 | January 1957 | EMD | GP9 | ||
903-904 | March 1960 | EMD | GP18 | ||
905 | August 1956 | EMD | GP10 |
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References
- ↑ Motor Coach Age October-December 2003 edition
- ↑ Railroadfan.com - What was SEMTA?