Green Oak Township has renewed their contract with a popular assisted transportation organization.

The People’s Express provides low cost travel services between Green Oak and the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area. The service is available for anyone to use, but Township Supervisor Mark St. Charles said that it really shines when it comes to helping people who are on their own, like senior citizens. He calls the service a “valuable commodity" adding, "I have actually witnessed down at the hospital where they bring elderly people up to doctor's appointments. They wheel them in, they help them, and then they arrange to pick them back up and take them back home. So it's a great service."

The township’s Board of Trustees met Wednesday and unanimously approved a contract renewal with People’s Express at an annual cost of $7,500, which is unchanged from last year. The contract with the township allows People’s Express to apply for certain grants and receive additional funding. People’s Express is reportedly working to establish a partnership with the Livingston Essential Transportation Service, or LETS, to help provide additional transportation services to local residents. Township officials and a People’s Express representative both note that ridership has continued to grow year after year.

Due to growing demand, People’s Express asks that riders make reservations at least three business days in advance of needing transportation. There is also a commuter route that runs daily between the Lee Road Park and Ride to the 8 Mile Park and Ride, and then to the Med Inn at University of Michigan Hospital. There are multiple departure times from Green Oak in the morning and from the hospital in the afternoon. To reserve a ride, call the People’s Express at (877) 214-6073. (DK)