DEARBORN — SMART, the Detroit-area's bus system, announced its first bilingual transportation program along with Dearborn city officials Wednesday.
Two new Arabic-speaking employees, a bus driver and dispatcher, were hired to enhance services in the Arab American community, offering translation for residents who need help when scheduling rides.
Signage and other service materials to be written in Arabic are also in the works.
SMART officials said they think the program could lead to similar initiatives in other ethnic communities.
"It's innovative and unique," said SMART General Manager Hayes Jones.
"We're able to use this as a model."
He said that by 2030, the senior population will be double what it is today, and that SMART wants to provide more options for people to be able to get around the region.
The cost of driving is also resulting in record numbers of users in recent years.
"Fuel prices are constantly rising and families are trying to find new ways to get around," Jones said.
SMART spokesperson Mary Ann Mohring said that the city worked with SMART to put the program together.
"The city of Dearborn recognized that there was a gap," she said.
"We could see that we were having problems," said Transportation Coordinator Mary Ellen Randall, about having only English speaking dispatchers in the past.
Mayor Jack O'Reilly said the program will reach deep into the community.
"The residents' use of this program has been increasing dramatically over the last few years, and now with the inclusion of a bilingual scheduler, we will reach even further into our community with this critical service for our seniors."
The Arabic-speaking dispatcher is now in place specifically for Dearborn users but the program may expand in the future so that Arabic-speakers from throughout the region call and get help and information on routes from bilingual dispatchers.
Rachad Hrisseh, the newly hired Arabic-speaking driver, said that he feels good about having the capacity to help people who may struggle to use the bus system because of a language barrier.
He said he knows he'll be asked a lot of questions, but looks forward to hearing people say "Al-hamdulilla, there's somebody who speaks our language here."
The enhanced program is targeted specifically for senior citizens, said Dearborn Senior Services coordinator Marsha Koet.
She said the top priority is helping people get to their doctor's appointments.
Two new vans were also added to Dearborn's fleet of SMART vehicles Wednesday.
Senior citizens can schedule rides to anywhere in the city on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., by calling 313.943.4083.
For more information on SMART, including regular route schedules, visit www.smartbus.org.
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