Royal Oak is on the road to sustainability

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak is on the road to a greener footprint following the addition of a Ford Transit electric vehicle to the senior center’s fleet.

The Royal Oak Leo Mahany/Harold Meininger Senior Community Center provides seniors or adults with permanent disabilities with transportation services 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Transportation can be provided to doctor appointments, grocery stores and more.

The senior transportation vehicles travel anywhere from 80 to 130 miles per day, according to Yolanda Botello, director of the senior center.

“It will definitely help the environment but also will help us save on fuel usage,” Botello said. “I am hoping that we can do a full day’s run on one charge.”

The electric vehicle was fully funded by the Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. The total cost of the van is $99,753.37, according to Judy Davids, Royal Oak community engagement specialist.

Currently, the senior center transportation fleet consists of six vehicles that are being gassed up around four times a week, according to Botello, with the oldest powered by diesel.

Botello said that the senior center sees a high usage in its transportation services and at times has had to turn rides away, so the new vehicle will help prevent that in the future.

The new Ford Transit can seat six people and also has a lift for those who need help getting in and out of the vehicle.

“We are very excited to try out our new electric vehicle, and I have eight bus drivers, and they’re all eager to get their turn to drive,” Botello said. “We will also be utilizing this for some of our day trips.”

The purchase of the Ford Transit aligns with the city of Royal Oak’s environmental goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030. It also is a start to the transition into a mostly EV fleet for the city, which is an initiative outlined in the Royal Oak Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.

This is the first time the city of Royal Oak has purchased an electric vehicle, and according to Joe Gacioch, city manager, it benefits both the senior center and serves as a test run for future EV fleet additions.

“It was important for us to purchase our first kind of public-facing EV, making sure that this was a commitment for our seniors,” he said. “I think it was a great opportunity, so it was a shared priority for everybody.”

Gacioch said that providing the senior center with the first EV in the city gives a unique look into one of the city’s top priorities.

“The first level is service, we need flat-out reliability and an efficient vehicle for our seniors. These are important trips they are making often, and we want to be able to support them with a reliable vehicle,” Gacioch said. “But, above and beyond that, I think symbolically I love that we are able to have a modern, next gen electric vehicle purchase that prioritizes our seniors and isn’t city staff oriented. … Our first major investment is demonstrably for the population.”

Botello said that the senior center is grateful to be the first to try out the new vehicle.

“This is a very important program for seniors to continue aging in place,” Botello said. “And I thought this was a perfect location for us to trial the electric vehicle.”

Gacioch said that a few level-two EV charging stations are going to be installed at the senior center potentially in the next few weeks.

The city is currently coordinating with DTE to get the site ready for installation of EV charging stations. That includes an analysis of the grid and input on how to connect them safely, according to Gacioch.

In the meantime, the vehicle is being charged at the Department of Public Services yard at 1600 N. Campbell Road.

“We intend to embrace the shift towards EV or hybrid-ready vehicles,” Gacioch said. “It’s one small step towards emission reduction, and I think it raises attention for the support of the community to make sure we are OK with investing our tax dollars towards this.”

Transportation services are provided for residents ages 60 and older or adults who have permanent disabilities.

To schedule a ride, call (248) 246-3914 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call up to two weeks in advance for appointments. A minimum of one day is required; however, space is not always available with such short notice, according to romi.gov.

For more information, visit romi.gov/383/transportation.