Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority

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

Commuter Rail

Locomotives

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Notes
901-902		January 1957	EMD	GP9	Ex-GTW 4908 & 4915; acquired 1977. Sold to MBTA 901-902 in 1987. Both since retired from MBTA, 901 in 1993, 902 in 2009.
903-904		March 1960	EMD	GP18	Ex-GTW 4950 & 4952; acquired 1977. Sold to MBTA 903-904 in 1987. Both since retired from MBTA, 903 in 1995, 904 in 2009.
905		August 1956	EMD	GP10	Ex-MBTA/Conrail/Penn Central 7559, nee-New Haven GP9 1229. Sold back to MBTA 905 in 1987. Re-sold to Central New England 905 in 1994.