South Metro Area Rapid Transit

South Metro Area Rapid Transit (SMART) is a small public transit system operated by the city government of Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. The system currently consists of five routes and is funded by local businesses. It was created when Wilsonville petitioned to withdraw from the TriMet service district in the late 1980s. Offices of the agency are in the former city hall off Wilsonville Road. [Kulla, Josh. [http://www.wilsonvillespokesman.com/ArcStoryPage.asp?Database=Story&StoryID=4334 Out with the old, in with the new.] "Wilsonville Spokesman", December 12 2007.]

ervices

SMART has two routes that serve only Wilsonville, going east-west and north-south. However, it is unusual in that the three other routes go well beyond the city limits (and the entities who pay for the service). One route heads north to Tualatin and southern Portland, connecting with TriMet, and another goes southeast to the city of Canby, connecting with Canby Area Transit. The third route is most unusual; it makes an almost 30-mile, non-stop run to Salem, with connections to Salem-Keizer Transit (Cherriots). From 1999 to 2000, the service operated a lunchtime bus between businesses and the commercial center. [McMullen, Danielle. [http://www.wilsonvillespokesman.com/ArcStoryPage.asp?Database=Story&StoryID=3 Hungry restaurants line up for customers.] "Wilsonville Spokesman", April 11 2001.]

Until Fall 2005, no fares were charged for any SMART routes. As of 2006, only rides within Wilsonville are free. In 2008, the Westside Express Service (formerly Washington County Commuter Rail) line is planned to start connecting with SMART buses at Wilsonville Station. [ [http://trimet.org/pdfs/commuterrail/wccrfactsheet.pdf Washington County Commuter Rail Fact Sheet/October 2007.] TriMet. Retrieved on April 13 2008.]

With transfers, it is possible to use public transit to travel between Portland and Salem. Using SMART is cheaper than taking direct (and faster) Greyhound or Amtrak Cascades service.

References

External links

* [http://www.ridesmart.com/ SMART web site]