Govind Tekale
Metro Detroit commuters tracking SMART bus schedule changes 2027 have a major service overhaul ahead. The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation is proposing three brand-new routes and seven route modifications, with public hearings starting November 16. If approved, riders across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties will see new connections and expanded weekend service beginning April 2027.
Three new routes are proposed. Route 120 Fort Street would serve communities along Fort Street’s southern corridor. Route 290 Newburgh would create a north-south link through Livonia. Route 295 Plymouth would add coverage across Plymouth Township. Seven existing routes are also proposed for changes. Routes 160 Downriver, 200 and 210 Michigan Local, and 250 and 255 Ford Road would gain expanded geographic coverage. Routes 525 Groesbeck and 780 Fifteen Mile would add Saturday and Sunday service.
The November 16 hearing runs at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. November 17 is at 6:30 p.m. at Trenton Veterans Memorial Library, 2790 Westfield Road. November 18 is at 7:00 p.m. at Westland City Hall, 36300 Warren Road. Written comments are accepted through December 31, 2026.
For riders who depend on SMART for medical appointments, shift work, or grocery trips, the proposed additions carry real weight. But there is a lesser-known reason to follow these proceedings closely. Michigan law gives injured bus passengers a far narrower claims window than most residents assume.
What SMART Riders Need to Know About Michigan’s 60-Day Claim Rule
Expanded routes would connect car-free households to hospitals, clinics, and employment hubs. New weekend service on routes 525 and 780 directly addresses a long-standing gap for second-shift workers and weekend caregivers.
MCL 124.419 requires anyone injured on a SMART vehicle to deliver written notice to the agency within 60 days of the incident. This is a separate obligation from filing a no-fault Personal Injury Protection claim with an auto insurer.
The Michigan Court of Appeals clarified this in Atkins. Submitting a PIP form to an insurance company does not satisfy the transit agency’s 60-day tort notice requirement. A 2025 ruling in Niles extended protection to riders without household auto insurance. This covers a common situation: people who rely entirely on public transit. That ruling confirmed tort claim rights remain intact without a household vehicle policy.
Michigan’s general personal injury statute runs three years. Many riders assume the same timeline covers bus accident claims. It does not. The 60-day SMART notice deadline runs independently and cuts off far earlier. Missing it — often while focused on medical recovery — can close the legal door permanently, regardless of how much time remains on the standard three-year clock. This statutory trap, where a short agency-specific deadline overrides a longer assumed window, is a pattern Karmactive has tracked in legal deadline cases like the McRib lawsuit against McDonald’s. The same issue has come up in workers’ rights cases like Tesco’s Supreme Court equal pay challenge, where statutory deadlines proved decisive.
What new routes is SMART bus adding in Metro Detroit for 2027?
SMART is proposing Route 120 along Fort Street, Route 290 on the Newburgh corridor in Livonia, and Route 295 covering Plymouth Township. Seven existing routes would also gain weekend or geographic extensions. Approved changes are scheduled to phase in during April, June, and September 2027.
Written comments may be sent to PublicHearing@smartbus.org or mailed to SMART, 535 Griswold Street, Suite 600, Detroit, MI 48226, by December 31, 2026.
