Commissioners approve 2026 SMART service agreement and extend veterans transit program

Oakland County staff presented and the committee approved a successor 2026 service agreement with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) and separately approved an interlocal extension of the county's veterans transportation program.

Eli Cooper summarized the 2026 SMART parent agreement that replaces the 2023 agreement. He said the successor contract embeds customer-service and performance metrics previously relegated to exhibits into the main agreement, reflects a budget figure of $44,100,000 for the full 2026 calendar year shown in exhibit B, and anticipates one or more amendments during 2026 to add service based on the county's Smart Mobility planning work. Cooper said the county also requested that SMART provide more disaggregated ridership and service data specific to Oakland County (exhibit C) so the county can better track local performance.

Separately, Garth Wootton described an interlocal agreement with SMART and several local providers to extend the Just Ride On Us veterans transportation program through 2030. Staff said the program expects about 15,000 rides in the coming fiscal year and that SMART (five-day coverage under this agreement) and additional regional providers will supply countywide veteran transportation services.

The committee voted to forward the 2026 SMART agreement and the veterans transportation interlocal agreement to the full board for approval. Staff said they expect to return with any needed amendments to add service capacity during 2026.