AUBURN HILLS, MI (WXYZ) — SMART bus service will soon come to an end in Auburn Hills. The city council opted to pass on the service Monday night in a five to two vote.
The proposed alternative would be a new voter-funded transit system that would run Monday through Friday but only for seniors and people with disabilities.
By ending service in Auburn Hills, commuters will no longer have access to SMART stops and destinations like Oakland University.
RELATED: Auburn Hills to end SMART Bus service, opting out of regional system
This means students without cars and residents who use busses for things like groceries will have to find another more expensive way to get around.
"Some of us of course can depend on family or friends, but there's a lot of whom that a bus for a couple of weeks could mean the difference between keeping a job and losing it," one resident said.
"I've personally spoke to a lot of my close friends who live in the apartments in the area that are served by those fixed routes that SMART Bus offers. They personally told me they make use of it and they chose where they live because that's an option available to them," another one added.
The proposed alternative would be a new transit system that would run Monday through Friday for seniors and people with disabilities. But ultimately, that decision would be up to voters.
"The ballot question would be to approve a certain amount of mills to support a city transport system and the amount of mills would determine the kind of transportation system we have," a council member said.
And while this is the end of the line for SMART Bus services in Auburn Hills, some still have faith that further action will be taken.
"I don't like this decision. I do have some hope going forward that the county officials will do something," one resident said.
