From © The Detroit News   North Oakland free ride fills in transportation gap   January 11, 2002   OXFORD -- Jim Ricketts embarks twice a week on a journey from his home in north Oakland County, through five communities, to a Pontiac hospital.     Ricketts no longer drives and his 74-year-old wife, Shirley, can't make the 45-minute trip. That forced the 79-year-old General Motors retiree to ask friends and neighbors for a ride to his cardiac care therapy.     But now, the Oxford resident simply makes an appointment for a free ride to the hospital via the North Oakland Transportation Authority, a public transit system that serves senior citizens, people with physical and developmental disabilities and others who qualify in six north Oakland communities.     "It's really nice for people like me and others who are really bad off to have this service," Ricketts said. "Otherwise I'd have to find a friend to drive me and I really hate to impose."     The authority is the result of five years of work by County Commissioner Larry Obrecht, R-Lake Orion, who negotiated with officials in the townships of Addison, Orion and Oxford and the villages of Lake Orion, Leonard and Oxford to pool resources and create a central transit system in an area where bus lines and cab service arevirtually non-existent.     Five years ago, the rural communities declined to join the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), which serves many inner suburbs but makes fews runs to north Oakland County.     "There had to be an alternative. We needed a service because it's very isolated up here," Obrecht said.     The fleet of four vans operates on weekdays, taking riders to medical appointments, jobs, shopping or even for a haircut. Service on Sunday recently started in Orion Township, letting riders attend religious services.     Passengers must meet certain qualifications. But unlike other community transportation programs, the authority will take riders outside the six communities -- such as to Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills or to downtown Pontiac jobs.     Launched in October, the program operates with nine drivers from all three townships who use an Oxford dispatching station to schedule and organize rides.     In November, 1,848 trips were logged. Obrecht expects the program to provide about 30,000 one-way trips a year. He also hopes to increase the number of vans to seven and expand the hours of operation.     Wendy Taggart, program director at an Oxford drop-in center for the mentally ill, said about 20 clients regularly use the van service to come to the Clubhouse Inspiration center and get around town.     "It's not just coming to our clubhouse, it's also about getting access to their community. They are going to the grocery store, the library. They are getting jobs as far as Pontiac," Taggart said.     In addition to seniors and the disabled -- who ride for free -- the authority offers rides at a small cost to participants in a state welfare-to-work program.     The authority is financed through grants and contributions from participating communities. On Monday, Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, whose district includes all six communities, presented the authority with a $150,000 check. Kildee has secured $400,000 for the authority through a transportation spending bill that passed last year. The service got the first $250,000 last October.     The authority also announced Monday that it bought a 2002 Dodge Van for the program and counts on obtaining a mini-bus from SMART this spring that would serve riders who use electric wheelchairs and walkers.     Karen Koski, director of the transportation authority, said SMART never served the northern end of the county because of its relatively small population and the complexity of rural roads. However, the authority is now working closely with SMART to link riders up with SMART routes across the county. Current locations where riders can pick up SMART routes include Great Lakes Crossing and Meijer in Auburn Hills.     Laurita Johnson, 73, of Lake Orion is grateful for the service that takes her on monthly trips to Kroger, Walgreens and Kmart. After moving to the area from Mount Clemens, Johnson chose to stop driving and wasn't sure how she'd keep medical appointments and make other trips.     "I think it's wonderful. I can't walk very far at all. All the drivers are so pleasant. You call and make an appointment. I can't say enough good about it," she said. By Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News