Riding Through the Years

  • 10/11/1976 – CATS (Chelsea Area Transportation System) door-to-door in Chelsea starts for seniors and people with disabilities. T
    • Dispatch was volunteer and in the basement of CRC (CRC-FIA storage closet-CRC)
    • Jaycees, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions talked to the Chelsea Village President about the need for transportation
  • 2000 – Hired First Executive Director – Micheleane Pawlak
    • Chelsea forgave $25,000 debt used instead of giving funds to CATS
  • 2001 – Went to Chelsea to add mileage for transportation on the ballot
    • They got all the signatures required within a few days but was denied by the city
  • 2002 – Chelsea/Dexter fixed route started | rides for all – not just seniors/disabilities | Received Business Leadership award from Chelsea Chamber
  • 9/2003 – Community Connector started (Chelsea/Dexter? Scio TWP) – met with AATA at Jackson and Wagner Roads.
  • 2004 – Door-to-Door in Dexter | Name changed to WAVE
  • 1/2009 – Lifeline started (Door-to-door medical only)
  • 2010 – Chelsea Community Ride started
  • 2012 – First weekend service (Community Connector)
  • 2014 – Jackson Road Connector started thanks to the voter approved Scio Township Transportation Millage
  • 2017 – moved to office in lower level of CACA building
  • 03/01/2020 – Went down to 2 drivers for dialysis patients only with dispatchers working from home, due to Covid.
  • 7/13/2020 – Reopened Full services after COVID shut down
  • 8/3/2020 – Stockbridge and Manchester fixed routes started
  • 10/1/2021 – Stockbridge and Manchester transitioned from fixed routes to door-to-door instead
  • 2023 – Officially increased our D2D service area to include all of Western-Washtenaw + Stockbridge
  • 9/2023 – WAVE Rebranding with new logo and colors
  • 4/2024 – Started Ride Pingo App
  • 10/1/2024 – Expanded door-to-door into Grass Lake, Waterloo, Unadilla, and Putnam Townships
  • 4/2024 –  Expanded into Lodi Township
  • 6/2025 – Piloted a Late Night Weekend bus service in Chelsea for the summer
  • 11/2025 – WAVE ADVANTAGE Program started

Want to know how WAVE can promote your business?

Call us:

(734) 649-3013