Bus from Royal Oak to Detroit (environment, job, suburbs)

[bem629]

Hey Everyone,

Would really appreciate your advice/ insight about using the SMART system to commute into downtown Detroit from Royal oak for an 8:30 am - 5:00 pm job I'll be taking starting this fall. Is the SMART system pretty reliable? How long is the trip? Do the busses feel safe? I'd love to be "green," save the gas money, and avoid paying for parking downtown, but also want to feel safe and get to work on time! I've commuted on public transport quite a bit in Boston/ DC/ NYC, but I know that Detroit is motor city...

Any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

Brandon

[Guardian]

I wish I had the time to answer your questions, but this thread should help.

[enli]

My husband took the bus that you are asking about to work every day for several years. He never had any real problems.

[bem629]

Thanks, Guardian and Enli. I missed the subsequent responses to my earlier post, so sorry for the repeat question! Glad to hear, Enli, that someone did this without much drama. My little part for the environment (and to save a lot of money!)

[dmetro]

I don't know if I would reccommend it. The Detroit area, like Houston, has no real public transportation system, and what's available may be unreliable. However, owning a car is very cheap in the Detroit suburbs, and gasoline here is not as expensive as in other parts of the country.