Taking the Bus from Royal Oak to Downtown Detroit (Southfield: car insurance, home)

[bem629]

Hey Everyone,

Does anybody do this commute? How long does it take? Is it reliable/ safe/ etc. (in general, I realize there was just a bus strike...) I want to save money on parking and my job downtown with the federal government will reimburse for the bus pass... Is this crazy or possible/ normal?

--Brandon

[Guardian]

As you may or may not already know, the metro area has two different bus systems, DDOT, and SMART. Most DDOT routes are within the city of Detroit and therefore you will probably be using SMART. I've never gone from Royal Oak to downtown on a bus, so I don't know how long it would take. I suggest you try it some weekend once you move here. According to the SMART website, you would want to take the 450/460 Woodward local. The bus will be slower than driving but, you can read or do work on the bus and it will of course save you money. Of any road in the Metro area, you are most likely to find a bus on Woodward, making it pretty reliable. As for safety, there are, for the time being at least, county police on the buses.

[nickbii]

Originally Posted by bem629

Hey Everyone,

Does anybody do this commute? How long does it take? Is it reliable/ safe/ etc. (in general, I realize there was just a bus strike...) I want to save money on parking and my job downtown with the federal government will reimburse for the bus pass... Is this crazy or possible/ normal?

--Brandon

I did this the other way in October and November, and I never felt unsafe.

And the route is SMART, so the recent strike didn't stop it.

Nick

[bem629]

Thanks for the replies--I'm guessing since there haven't been many, that this is a pretty rare form of travel. I know it's Michigan and the car is king... Just looking to save money and help the environment out a bit! Anyone out there that actually does this, though?

[nickbii]

Originally Posted by bem629

Thanks for the replies--I'm guessing since there haven't been many, that this is a pretty rare form of travel. I know it's Michigan and the car is king... Just looking to save money and help the environment out a bit! Anyone out there that actually does this, though?

Like I said, I did it the other way -- Art Museum to downtown Royal Oak. It didn't seem special, or weird. I got on the bus, I got off the bus. One of my female co-workers used the bus to go home at 8:00 and 9:00 PM, and she never had any horror stories.

It takes awhile -- at rush hour downtown to 7 mile can take 45 minutes -- but it'll get you to work. That's partly because it is popular -- you didn't get many responses because most of the folks on these boards are from Oakland County. In Oakland everybody drives, in Detroit-proper it's almost precisely the opposite -- Detroiters are poor before paying car insurance, which is hideously expensive in city zip codes.

Besides there's not much to say. You get on, you pay, you read a magazine or something for an hour, and you get off.

Nick

[K12144]

I seem to be having trouble with route info (it'd be easier if I knew something more about Detroit, I guess)...but it seems like some of the routes I've been looking at don't run very early? I mean, if I had to be at work in Detroit by 7:30 or 8:00, coming out of say somewhere around Southfield/Royal Oak or Hamtramck...would I even be able to catch a bus early enough to get to work on time??

[elmoslg]

i used to do the bus after school in Ferndale to DMC in Detroit and it took about 30 minutes. The only issue I had was some old guy (who was realistically my age now) hitting on me at age 16. My dad was fine with his white daughter taking the bus so it must be safe. My cousin travel SMART exclusively since he is terrified to drive. More people are doing it to save on gas. I would if I didn't have 5 kids to tote along!