MDOT courtesy vans off the road due to contract dispute

(WJBK) - Michigan Department of Transportation courtesy vans that help out when cars break down on freeways, are off the roads as of midnight Monday.
 
"They are dispatched if MDOT or state police see something on the cameras, the monitors of the freeways that indicate if there are breakdowns that might be causing back-ups," said Jeff Cranson, spokesperson, MDOT.

MDOT says the company that provides the service - Emergency Road Response - decided to suspend services after finding out the state was going with another company.

It is something MDOT says it can do legally even though there was another year left in the contract. However, the state agency says ERR agreed to provide services until Jan. 2019 - when the new company takes over.

Losing the courtesy vans on Oct. 1, wasn't something MDOT was prepared for.

"Our goal is to keep the roads clear keep traffic moving and try to minimize delays," Cranson said. "We have a lot of people that spend a lot of time trying to figure out, how to make commutes as quick and safe as they can be."

MDOT decided to switch to Incident Clear because the out of state company was more affordable.

We reached out to the attorney for emergency road response, he declined FOX 2's request for an on-camera interview.