Too many SMART buses aren't showing up when riders need them - leaving riders stranded or waiting for hours - because SMART is short about 100 bus drivers and has been for more than a year. “I’ve experienced this many times,” says rider Kathy Meagher, who’s visually impaired and uses SMART to get to her job as a substitute teacher. When her bus doesn’t show up, she has to shell out for Uber or Lyft or call her husband to give her a ride, which, she explains, is “stressful for both of us.” Other riders don’t even have that option. The driver shortfall is a crisis that cannot be allowed to continue! SMART has stepped up its recruitment efforts, but that hasn't been enough. They now need to provide more competitive wages and better working conditions for new drivers. SMART drivers currently start at $19/hour, after training, whereas the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates a living wage for a family of 4 in the Detroit metro area at $28/hour. SMART is currently negotiating a new contract with its operators’ union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1564. This is critical time to make SMART a more appealing workplace. Tell SMART management to boost pay and improve working conditions now, so they can become an “employer of choice,” as SMART General Manager Dwight Ferrell has stated. Doing right by drivers is the right thing to do, and it’s crucial to providing the service that riders need!
