News Photo by Jason Ogden Prell’s Service owner Ron Prell, right, discusses a Thunder Bay Transportation Authority bus repair Tuesday with Maintenance Supervisor Larry Corum. Prell, who has been a third party contractor for city transportation since the 1970s, is scaling back business after the TBTA’s decision to no longer go with a third party operator.

By JASON OGDEN

News Staff Writer

ALPENA — Since the early 1970s, Ron Prell has been working with local governmental agencies as a third party contractor through Prell’s Service to provide transportation to the community.

It started with just a handful of buses, but after the organization called Dial-A-Ride merged with the Thunder Bay Transportation Corporation in the early 2000s, the agency grew leaps and bounds.

With the announcement by Thunder Bay Transportation Authority officials that the agency no longer would use a third party operator, Prell’s Service is in for some changes.

The more than 50 employees of the company have been offered a chance to apply for new jobs at TBTA and will be leaving the service. Prell said he is unsure what changes will take place at the company, which is now run by his son Jeff.

According to Kathy Prell, she and her husband got in the transportation business in the late 1960s with the purchase of a small cab company in Alpena known as the City Cab Company. Prell already operated a towing business as well as a Mobil gas station and Kathy said it was a way to diversify the business.

The pair operated the cabs for a few years, with sometimes precarious situations taking place inside the cabs.

“Ron’s first fare ended up getting sick in the cab,” she remembered. “We had to bring the cab back and completely clean it.”

Ron said the cab company ended up being sold at a substantial loss, but not before he was approached to make a request to operate the new Dial-A-Ride service by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Ron still has the typewritten letter requesting to be the third-party operator for the service. He eventually won the bid and the service, and with four buses began operating in the city in 1974. His company would go on to operate public transportation as the third party contractor for more than 40 years. Ron said it fit a need in the city.

“It was to have an inexpensive form of transportation for those that needed it, and couldn’t afford the high prices of a cab or their own car,” he said.

Gradually the business grew and more and more buses were added to the fleet. Kathy said there were local millages to support the expansion and support by the community. All through the support Prell’s Service remained as the contractor. The service expanded from the city to Alpena, Montmorency and Alcona counties.

Ron said the formation of the TBTC, and the merger of Dial-A-Ride worked to bring in a lot more funding into the community for public transportation; years of lobbying efforts that paid off for the community.

In the 1980s the former Petch Building, where Prell’s Service is now, was purchased and is where operations are held. A new building for TBTA is being constructed north of town, prompting the change.

According to Kathy, now that the business is going to scale down, the pair hope to travel and visit their children and grandchildren all over the state, though they plan to stay living in Alpena.

Kathy and Ron both agree that one constant they have had is the many good employees who have worked for them over the years.

“You know you’ll always get a few bad apples in the crate, but for the most part we have been blessed,” she said. “Whenever there was a challenging circumstance, people just rallied along, and they do it to this day. We absolutely wish them all well. I am excited about the change that is coming.”

Kathy said she will miss providing treats for the employees during holidays. She worked at the St. Bernard’s Friendship Room for 15 years and said providing food for the employees was a treat.

Ron said they would go pick up goodies for the employees. Kathy would cook, and he would deliver the food to the shop.

“It was just a way to make it a little more family oriented and to show our appreciation for all the hard work,” she said.

Ron agreed.

“It was a team effort,” he said. “A lot of it was a team effort over the years.”

Jason Ogden can be reached via email at jogden@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693. Follow Jason on Twitter @jo_alpenanews.