Riding a bus across metro Detroit should be a bit more seamless starting May 1.

That’s when the region’s two main bus networks — DDOT and SMART — are rolling out a unified payment system that will eliminate transfers, and backers say, push them toward more coordinated operations.

The system, called Dart (a mashup of their respective acronyms that emphasizes getting around town), will offer a series of passes with unlimited rides on both DDOT and SMART, ranging from blocks of four hours to 31 days. The change promises to cut confusion and eliminate the 50-cent fee to transfer to a SMART bus, for example, although it will mean an increase above the $1.50 DDOT adult base fare (SMART's base fare is $2). The base fare, however, is for a single ride.

It’s the kind of service upgrade that transit advocates have urged and that metro Detroit residents have experienced in other more transit-connected urban areas. It’s also a step toward the kind of improvements envisioned in the failed regional transit proposals of recent years, and should answer critics who have asked for closer coordination between the Detroit Department of Transportation and Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation.

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"It'll be a really good step for transit in the area," said Megan Owens, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation Rides United. "There will be a modest (price) increase for some people. However, I believe a lot more people will end up paying less."

DDOT riders who have to run multiple errands requiring various stops could see their fare costs drop, for example. Owens noted that just eliminating transfers should cut boarding times, which would improve travel time, as well as one of the key tension points between drivers and passengers. Disputes over transfers, she said, can lead to arguments.

“Paying with Dart is going to make it much easier for Detroiters to get where they need to go. This partnership with SMART demonstrates our commitment to working together on key initiatives that have separated our systems in the past,” Angelica Jones, interim DDOT director, said in the news release announcing the Dart system.

John Hertel, SMART’s general manager, called Dart “a giant step in the coordination activities” of the bus systems.

The release noted that the Dart system is expected to expand to include the QLINE and People Mover in the “near future” as well.

“Riders have the ability take unlimited rides on both systems, eliminating transfers and other additional fees from the previous payment systems. Dart is a rolling pass as each pass starts on the first use for the time period allotted. And for the first time, all of the new regional passes are available for reduced fare riders — seniors, people with disabilities, Medicare cardholders and youths — who show valid ID will have access to these reduced fares,” the release said,

Here are the pass options, according to the release:

4 hours for $2, with a reduced fare price of 50 cents for qualified riders.

24 hours for $5 ($2 reduced fare price)

7 days for $22, ($10 reduced fare price)

31 days for $70 ($29 reduced fare price). This option includes a plastic card with a "tap to pay" feature to make boarding easier.

Dart passes will not be available until May 1, but there will be various ways to get one when they are:

“Four-hour and 24-hour Dart passes will be available for purchase on SMART and DDOT vehicles. All Dart passes will be available for purchase through SMART/DDOT Transit Centers, select retail outlets, online or by mail starting May 1. A mobile Dart app will be launched early this summer, where users can purchase and use Dart passes directly from their phone,” the release said.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.

