D.S.R. Route #88
| TWELVE MILE ROAD |
Former route #88 Twelve Mile Road was a relatively unknown suburban DSR bus route which
operated along East Twelve Mile Road between the South Macomb Community College at Bunert
Road in the city of Warren, MI and the former Madison Heigts Shopping Center on John R. in
Madison Heights. Service on the line began on Monday, February 7, 1966. The #88 Twelve Mile line
was one of only two DSR bus routes to operate exclusively within the suburbs—-the other being the
#65 Middlebelt.
Westbound Twelve Mile Road coaches would begin boarding passengers from the loading zone at
the South Macomb Community College Parking Lot, and would display a "Madison Center" metal
sign in the windshield, while eastbound coaches would begin boarding from the loading zone at the J.
L. Hudson Budget Store in the Madison Heights Shopping Center. The eastbound coaches displayed
a "Macomb College" metal sign. Initially, coaches were assigned out of both the Highland Park and
Shoemaker DSR Terminals.
Originally, service operated with two coaches, Monday thru Saturday, providing 30-minute headways
from 6:30am until 9:00pm. However, by 1969, service had been reduced to 60-minute headways
being provided by one coach. But unfortunately, route #88 Twelve Mile never attracted much traffic
and was eventually discontinued on July 27, 1970, during DSR service cutbacks.
Service along Twelve Mile was later restarted by SEMTA on August 28, 1973, through a "purchase-of-
service" agreement with the suburban Great Lakes Transit company, which was later acquired by
SEMTA in April of 1974. The route would later become part of the SEMTA/SMART route #740
Twelve Mile, currently #740 Twelve Mile Crosstown.
Information for the above article compiled from numerous sources, including "Detroit's DSR, Part 3" — May–June 1993 edition of Motor
Coach Age (MCA) magazine by Jack E. Schramm. Additional information acquired from miscellaneous DSR Service Maps in the author's
possession. Twelve Mile Road schedule card, route map, and 1969 Twelve Mile transfer courtesy of the Stan Sycko collection.
operated along East Twelve Mile Road between the South Macomb Community College at Bunert
Road in the city of Warren, MI and the former Madison Heigts Shopping Center on John R. in
Madison Heights. Service on the line began on Monday, February 7, 1966. The #88 Twelve Mile line
was one of only two DSR bus routes to operate exclusively within the suburbs—-the other being the
#65 Middlebelt.
Westbound Twelve Mile Road coaches would begin boarding passengers from the loading zone at
the South Macomb Community College Parking Lot, and would display a "Madison Center" metal
sign in the windshield, while eastbound coaches would begin boarding from the loading zone at the J.
L. Hudson Budget Store in the Madison Heights Shopping Center. The eastbound coaches displayed
a "Macomb College" metal sign. Initially, coaches were assigned out of both the Highland Park and
Shoemaker DSR Terminals.
Originally, service operated with two coaches, Monday thru Saturday, providing 30-minute headways
from 6:30am until 9:00pm. However, by 1969, service had been reduced to 60-minute headways
being provided by one coach. But unfortunately, route #88 Twelve Mile never attracted much traffic
and was eventually discontinued on July 27, 1970, during DSR service cutbacks.
Service along Twelve Mile was later restarted by SEMTA on August 28, 1973, through a "purchase-of-
service" agreement with the suburban Great Lakes Transit company, which was later acquired by
SEMTA in April of 1974. The route would later become part of the SEMTA/SMART route #740
Twelve Mile, currently #740 Twelve Mile Crosstown.
Information for the above article compiled from numerous sources, including "Detroit's DSR, Part 3" — May–June 1993 edition of Motor
Coach Age (MCA) magazine by Jack E. Schramm. Additional information acquired from miscellaneous DSR Service Maps in the author's
possession. Twelve Mile Road schedule card, route map, and 1969 Twelve Mile transfer courtesy of the Stan Sycko collection.
© 2008
