MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - "We need rides now, not in 2019," said a Meridian Township resident in regards to the CATA Redi-Ride system.

With the goal to improve inefficiencies within the CATA Redi-Ride system, the Township Board approved three new rules to be implemented.

Of these three cost-free solutions, one of them looks to solve the problem of capacity.

In order to fix this, the 14- day reservation period is to be changed to 7 days. This will cut down on cancellations or schedule changes for those booking a Redi-Ride.

Another fix is to change the trip cancellation period from 90 minutes prior to the ride to 5 pm the day before their reservation. With this, CATA will be more capable of providing a ride for someone else.

Finally, by defining a “no-show” they are looking into a penalty system for people who continually cancel their reservations for rides.

Board members discussed that CATA may not be using the best technology for this system. It was also stated that late cancellations should still be allowed in case people have a conflict that arises the morning of their Redi-Ride.

The Board supported and approved these solutions with the purpose of improving the Redi-Ride system in Meridian Township.