Oshkosh transportation staff begin review of Saturday transit hours, recommend rider survey

Oshkosh Transportation Committee members discussed possible changes to Saturday fixed-route bus service on a workshop item Tuesday, with staff asking the committee for direction to survey Saturday riders before proposing formal changes.

The committee heard from a staff presenter, who opened the discussion: "I'm calling this a workshop. Just wanted to have a discussion." He said Oshkosh Transit currently operates Monday through Saturday from 6:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and that Saturday ridership "goes down drastically" compared with weekdays. The presenter described operational pressures including driver recruitment and a supervisory gap on Saturday afternoons.

Why it matters: committee members and staff said changes to Saturday service could reduce operating costs, ease staffing pressures and address safety and supervision gaps at the transit center, but could also affect riders who use the system for work or medical trips. The committee asked staff to collect better data about why people ride on Saturdays before moving to a public hearing or budget recommendation.

Most important facts: staff outlined options including keeping the status quo; shortening Saturday hours (examples cited: end service at 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m.); eliminating Saturday service entirely; reducing the number of fixed routes operating on Saturdays; starting Saturday service later in the morning; or replacing some Saturday fixed-route service with microtransit (shared-ride) or contracted cab service during lower-demand hours.

Staff noted peer systems' recent moves: Valley Transit reduced Saturday fixed-route hours and uses a microtransit/connector service after fixed routes end; Green Bay contracted with a vendor (Via) to deliver microtransit and paratransit. The presenter said Oshkosh's paratransit/cab contract is presently at an optional year in a 3+2 arrangement and will be subject to RFP within the next year.

Several operational details and clarifications were discussed: the city’s access-to-jobs program was described as available to people who live and work in the city, work at least 30 hours per week and are at or below 275 percent of the federal poverty level; the presenter said the program’s cab fare is $4 (with differences if riders use fixed-route service), while the transit agency’s contracted cab cost is about $26 per ride. Funding for transit was described at a high level: federal and state grants cover roughly 50–55 percent of operating costs, fares roughly 20 percent, county contributions about 10 percent and local levies the remainder.

Committee questions focused on trip purpose (work vs. shopping/medical), whether reduced hours would harm early-shift workers, and how much demand the microtransit/cab vendors could reliably cover. One committee member asked, "Do we know what the people are doing on Saturday afternoons when they ride?" Staff replied that existing surveys do not isolate Saturday trip purpose and recommended a targeted Saturday rider survey.

Outcome and next steps: the committee did not vote on any change. Committee members supported staff conducting a Saturday-focused trip-purpose survey and returning with findings and options for the committee to consider ahead of budget decisions. The discussion also noted the pending paratransit contract RFP and the possibility of specifying microtransit in that procurement.

Taper: staff said they will plan and implement a rider survey on Saturday trips (in-person paper surveys aboard buses plus QR-code outreach), return to the committee with results, and then present options tied to budget timing.