MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The Redi-Ride Review Committee met on March 24 and completed phase one of their three phase review.

“Phase one was to gain a common understanding of what Redi-Ride was established for. We did that and now we moved on to our second phase and that is, now that we understand its original goal, we’re now looking to determine is that goal relevant today, and if not we’ll move on to the third phase which will state what do we need to do to improve Redi-Ride and make it more relevant and contemporary to today’s times," Redi-Ride Review Committee Chair Milton Scales said.

The committee determined that Redi-Ride was not established to take students to school, it's open to all residents, origins and destinations occur within Meridian Township, and it was created to fill gaps and divide access to fixed routes.

Redi-Ride was established more than 15 years ago and this is the the very first review of a long-term service that’s provided to the community, according to Scales.

“What we’re seeking to determine is, is it still meeting our needs?” Scales said.

The committee looks at the service area, hours of operation, in vehicle time, capacity, and the overall accountability of the service.

“The most important thing that the community needs to know about Redi-Ride is that it is established for everyone within Meridian Township. It is a curb-to-curb service that calls for advanced scheduling, advanced placement, but it will take you to your destination anywhere within Meridian Township,” Scales said.

The next committee review meeting is on Thurs. April 21 at 3 p.m. in the Meridian Township Hall.

The committee will be looking at the definition of demand response and making sure the expectations that are laid out to the public are the expectations that we want them to have according to Scales.

“We do not want them to get any false expectations of the Redi-Ride system so we’re going to work to enhance that,” Scales said.

Concerns about Redi-Ride can be raised at the next meeting or by contacting the board by email at board@meridian.mi.us.