Gladwin CCT History
Gladwin City County Transit is organized and created by the Gladwin City Housing Commission. Gladwin City Housing Commission was formed in 1968 by the Mayor and City Council, with the task of providing a plan to help the older generation and disabled of our community.
By the 1974 ERA the Commission reported that Maple Manor currently offered 50 apartments, 41 were occupied by single individuals, with the other 8 housing married couples. It was then that the Commission realized being tasked with helping the communities older generation and disabled would move transportation quickly to the top of their list. In those days many of the wives didn't drive and some couples never owned a vehicle. If you were handicapped there could be severe limitations with housing and travel.
The findings of the Housing Commission inspired several letters to be written by the Chairman of the Housing Commission, Donald Kehoe, Mayor James Robertson, City Clerk Noel Bush and Transportation Coordinator Sheila Hall to the State of Michigan Dial-A-Ride Transportation Department (DART).
The Housing Commission started Dial-A-Ride February 10, 1975 in the City of Gladwin. By May 5, 1975 the Commission received its State funding and officially had its grand opening May 21, 1975 with one van and an average of 52 passengers a day.
By 1978 the Dial-A-Ride system had grown to three buses, five employees, and 3200 passengers a month and was applying for County wide services through the State of Michigan.
By 1980 the Commission petitioned the City and County of Gladwin to apply for county wide service. This service, too, was a milestone for the Commission and a much needed improvement to assist the constituents of our community.
By 1981 the County wide system was born and so was the name Gladwin City County Transit. Both systems, the City and County, had to operate for three years side by side before applying for Public Act 51 funding which is one of the funding sources the Transit still operates under today.
In 2000 Gladwin City County Transit celebrated 25 years of dedicated service. The system that started with one driver and one bus had grown to 44 employees, 17 buses and had transported three million passengers.
Currently in 2015 the Transit operates with 52 employees mostly part-time, 21 vehicles- 19 with lifts. Annually, we transport almost 100,000 passengers, with a total logged mileage of over 500,000 miles traveled in our 516 square mile county!
Over the past several years Gladwin City County Transit has prided itself on our training. In the past 35 years this has resulted in the Transit having, by far, the most winners who have gone on to compete in local, regional, State and National ROADEO's.