September 28, 2015 (City of Taylor, MI) - SMART and the city of Taylor will celebrate the introduction of two new buses at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00am at the William D. Ford Senior Citizens Center located at 6750 Troy, Taylor, Michigan 48180. The two new buses are replacement vehicles to transport senior citizens to their choice of destinations, allowing them a continued quality of life and freedom of independence. Attendees at the event include Mayor Rick Sollars, City Council members, riders of the bus service and SMART staff.
Through the SMART Community Partnership Program (CPP), communities have access to funding and SMART resources to help operate local community transit programs. The CPP helps local municipalities provide community transit programs for their residents and supports a variety of transit needs including: administrative services, operating expenses, bus purchases, maintenance, loaner vehicles and technical assistance to help communities develop, design and operate service.
“In addition to the bus services SMART provides for each community, the CPP helps local communities add another level of service for their residents.” said SMART General Manager John Hertel, “With federal dollars returned to the city, Taylor is able to help accommodate more seniors and people with disabilities to get them to services they need every day like medical appointments, grocery shopping and to the Senior Activity Center. SMART is proud of our partnership with Taylor in jointly serving their citizens.”
The bus service is operated by the community and the two buses are replacement vehicles and are equipped with a wheelchair lift to accommodate disabled passengers with seating for 13 passengers. The new bus has a 6.8 liter diesel engine for better mileage. The senior transportation program provides service 5 days a week and transports older adults and people with disabilities to medical appointments, grocery shopping, the Senior Activity Center, theater and plays and other trips.
"We've really been looking forward to receiving these two buses," Mayor Rick Sollars said. "The William Ford Senior Activities Center plays a huge role in so many lives, and these buses are a key to many of the services that we provide. I'm sure the senior citizens in this community will put these vehicles to good use!"
SMART provides each CPP funding through Community Credits in which a portion of the transit property tax is returned to local communities for operating and or capital purchases. SMART also acts as the fiduciary agent for the State Municipal Credit Program. Approximately $6.5 million annually is redistributed by SMART via municipal and community credit programs to the area’s community-based transit programs.