Wilsonville's SMART Services Rated Among The Top Nationwide

WILSONVILLE, OR — Wilsonville residents, if nothing else, are quite satisfied with the city's South Metro Area Regional Transit services, according to the results of a National Citizen Survey. City officials announced the survey's findings Tuesday.

The city's South Metro Area Regional Transit, or SMART, reportedly provides fare-free transit services to anyone living within the city limits. And according to SMART Transit Director Dwight Brashear, residents' approval and survey high marks validate the agency's push to provide friendly customer services and hire bus operators "who excel at reaching destinations safely and on schedule."

"On our buses and behind the scenes, we are fortunate to have employees who are passionate about providing exemplary service," Brashear said in a statement. "I could not be more proud of their efforts to provide a great experience for SMART passengers."

Out of more than 200 communities across the nation that also participated in the 2018 National Citizen Survey, SMART reportedly ranked fifth in favorability ratings for local transit services and tenth with regard to the "ease of travel by public transportation." Overall, Wilsonville's SMART services were rated among the highest in the U.S. and well above statistical benchmarks.

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Serving city residents for the past 30 years, SMART runs fixed routes, connects to transit services in Salem, Portland, Tualatin, and Canby, and offers on-demand rides to medical appointments for qualified residents.

Always focused on improving its services, SMART hopes to see an even greater increase in rider satisfaction when the city offers another community survey in 2020. Until then, the agency will continue to periodically gauge its passengers' satisfaction and do what it can to improve services.

"We thrive when the community believes public transit is a better alternative than travel by car," Brashear said. "We want to take good care of every passenger who steps onto one of our buses, so they're encouraged to keep riding."

Image via City of Wilsonville