Walworth County’s Transportation Coordinating Committee on July 7 received a detailed update showing mixed service metrics: ridership is down through the first five months of 2025 compared with 2024, shared‑ride percentage has fallen, but Sunday usage has grown since service changes in January. Committee members and the county’s contracted operator also described operational steps to address cancellations, turndowns and staffing.

County materials show the program is down about 1,932 rides (roughly 10.1%) in the first five months of 2025 versus the same period in 2024, a drop the county attributed to a mix of capacity changes and seasonal patterns. The report shows a shared‑ride percentage of 22.4% through May 2025 compared with 29.7% in the same months of 2024; staff pointed to more vehicles and added driver availability as one factor that can lower the trips‑per‑service‑hour metric while capacity is being built.

Walworth County staff said the contracted provider added vehicles and drivers beginning in late 2022 to reduce customer turndowns; that increased capacity can temporarily reduce trips per service hour while ridership stabilizes. County staff told the committee they want the vendor to target a trips‑per‑service‑hour rate in the 1.2–1.3 range over time.

The committee reviewed Sunday service data: staff reported an average of 37.7 rides per Sunday since February, with a peak of 53 rides on June 29. Staff flagged higher short‑term cancellations on Sundays as a factor for planners to monitor.

Cancellations, turndowns and moves: Staff reported 47 turndowns in May but noted that 15 of those callers were moved to alternate slots; the county’s average denial rate was 1.2% for the period. Staff described a significant increase in “moves” (rescheduling or offering alternatives) compared with last year — a change they said reflects staff effort to find openings rather than flat denials.

Software and app rollout: Craig, a VIP Services representative, told the committee the new scheduling platform (Bridal) went live July 1 and the older system was shut down. County staff said Bridal will enable new reporting and that VIP planned a beta test of the rider app with frequent users; staff also said riders currently must have a profile set up by VIP before self‑service scheduling via the app becomes available. The committee discussed a soft launch of the app later in July or early August for testing and a wider launch timed with the rebranding effort.

Operations and staffing changes: VIP Services staff described near‑term operational changes including retiring an older capacity report, retraining dispatchers, sampling limited overbooking to reduce the impact of last‑minute cancellations, and adding more full‑time drivers to provide schedule flexibility. Staff also proposed assigning a designated dispatcher to make daily route adjustments and proposed a new phone system and call‑queue features to reduce missed calls. Craig said of the no‑show work, “the goal is 0%,” while acknowledging that a small percentage of cancellations and no‑shows is common.

Data and reporting needs: Committee members requested quarterly reports (rather than monthly) to reduce month‑to‑month volatility in presentation and asked staff to produce ad hoc reports showing same‑day bookings vs. advance bookings once Bridal reporting access is finalized. Staff said they will seek report‑only remote access to the new system to produce those measures.

Next steps: staff will continue monitoring trips‑per‑service‑hour and shared‑ride percentage, complete Bridal reporting access, begin app beta testing with frequent riders, and return in late August with updated capacity and dispatcher procedures for committee review.