Michaelene Pawlak, executive director of the Washtenaw Area Value Express, at the door of one of the buses that give free transportation to Chelsea residents.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Chelsea residents now have a convenient and free way to get from one end of town to the other. A new shuttle service, subsidized by the Chelsea Retirement Community and operated by the Western Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE), provides three "shopping loops" with a total of 11 stops along M-52.

The shuttle service, which operates Monday through Saturday, came about when the Chelsea Retirement Community contacted WAVE last year to discuss how to enhance the transportation service it already had in place for their residents.

“As an organization we started looking at how we can be more efficient,” said John Thorhauer, president and CEO of United Methodist Retirement Community. “We have always provided WAVE with their own office space on our campus and over time their program has grown and expanded. We approached them to see if there was a way that they could take over our transportation program and improve it by combining services.”

Through this collaboration, WAVE was able to tap into federal and state subsidies and open the ridership to the general public. Chelsea Retirement Community donated its vehicles and moved its transportation staff under WAVE to eliminate the overhead of maintenance and payroll. Chelsea Retirement Community pays WAVE for the cost of the service after government reimbursements. The program costs the center less than running a separate bus program.

“We took the cost savings from combining the programs and rolled it into serving the community,” said Thorhauer. “Now we were able to offer a fixed bus route to the community at large.”

He explains that this benefits them in many ways as well. “Not only will it be good to offer a way for teenagers and others who don’t drive to visit our residences, but we are part of the greater community and one of the largest employers in the area and want to be good neighbors. It is a very small incremental cost to have a few extra people ride and it is a tremendous service to offer a free shuttle in a small community like this.”

The service should come in especially handy for visitors to events such as the Chelsea Fair, who can now park in the large shopping center parking lots and hop on a bus to reach their destination.

WAVE executive director Michaelene Pawlak hopes the service could be a model for other towns, especially as a solution for people who may be struggling in the tough economy and need a way to get to work. “Not only is it a green initiative but this is a great way for young people to get around," Pawlak said, "especially during summer months and those afternoon hours before mom and dad get home from work.”

The program has been running for a few months to fine tune the details but started officially June 14 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. There were 491 rides during the month of May. The vehicles can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers and contain a luggage rack for packages.

Barbara Blotter, 92, a resident at the retirement community, plans to start using the bus for grocery shopping.

“This will really give my daughter a break,” said Blotter. “Our families are grown and have families of their own, and most of them are all working, so it’s a wonderful thing if I can be independent a little while longer. Now our children don’t have to worry about us getting around. We’re all really grateful for that.”

Departure times from Chelsea Retirement Community on the north end of town: 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Signs are at each stop and benches at five of the most popular stops.