Waupaca council approves narrower taxi-hour cuts for 2025, directs RFP for 2026 service

The Waupaca City Council on July 15 voted to shorten some shared-ride taxi service hours for the remainder of 2025 and authorized staff to issue a request for proposals for 2026 service instead of renewing the current contract with Brown Cab Services.

The action followed a public hearing in which more than 30 residents — including people who said they rely on the taxi for medical appointments, work shifts and wheelchair-accessible trips — urged the council not to cut the service. Finance director Stephanie Reif told the council the city’s local subsidy for the program “exceeded $116,000 in 2024,” and that ongoing reductions in federal and state assistance, falling ridership and rising operating costs have left the transit fund at risk.

Why it matters: The taxi program provides low-cost, wheelchair-accessible rides to many older and disabled residents and to Veterans Home visitors; council and staff said the program’s budget gap cannot be sustained without changes. Council members and staff framed the RFP as an effort to find a more financially sustainable vendor or model for 2026 while preserving transportation options.

What the council approved - Service-hour change (motion approved, with amendments): the council adopted an amended schedule for the shared-ride taxi for Aug. 1–Dec. 31, 2025. The final motion (as amended during debate) set Sunday service at 8:00 a.m.–3:45 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m., and Monday–Friday service (as amended) to run beginning 6:30 a.m.; council discussion extended the evening window during debate and the final approved Monday–Friday span is 6:30…