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Dunn County transit committee advances plan for 10-mile out-of-town fare radius and route adjustments
Summary
The Dunn County Transit Committee discussed a proposed 10-mile radius to distinguish daily out-of-town trips from once-a-month quadrant service, plus multiple stop and schedule changes; staff will produce a road-level map and the committee began the approval process.
Dunn County Transit Committee members on Thursday discussed and moved to begin the approval process for a proposal that would set a 10-mile radius from Menomonie City Hall to define daily out-of-town doorstop trips, adjust the community route, and move or add several bus stops and times.
The change is intended to clarify which out-of-town trips the system will serve regularly and which will be limited to once-a-month quadrant service, maintain service for long-standing riders and adjust stops and times to improve safety and schedule reliability.
Committee members and staff discussed several distance options, existing long-term riders and schedule impacts. Committee staff said the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) has about $6,000 to subsidize rides for the program period cited, and staff described prior in-town fares of $4 and an out-of-town fare of $7. Staff proposed using a 10-mile radius measured from City Hall in Menomonie as a practical boundary; staff also said some riders who have ridden twice daily for 10 years, about 8–9 miles out, would be grandfathered under the proposal.
Staff presented a set of route and stop changes tied to the radius decision: shifting a stop to serve the University of Wisconsin–Stout library at roughly :30 and :32 after the hour, moving the Stout Library shelter slightly west to improve loading and reduce students crossing in front of buses, and changing the CDL stop time from about :19 after the hour to :28 after. Staff also proposed rerouting a currently congested stop off a 35 mph stretch onto Wolske Bay Road/Wilson to allow safer loading at a library crosswalk and to use nearby parking areas to turn buses around during inclement weather.
Committee members asked for a road-by-road map showing the 10-mile radius so riders could verify eligibility for daily out-of-town service; staff agreed to prepare that map and to test how the radius aligns with specific drives and addresses. Staff also said there would be some operational flexibility for driveway locations and rare exceptions.
The committee began the vote process in batches on the proposed doorstop fare radius and community-route changes but the final tally and formal vote outcome were not recorded in the transcript. Staff said they will publish the map and relay details to callers when people contact the transit office.
Ridership updates presented at the meeting showed strong usage: staff reported that April ridership was the agency's best April on record by about 600 riders and that the South Route and Community Route performed particularly well; staff noted April 2023 had slightly higher Community Saturday totals because that year included five Saturdays.
The committee set its next meeting for June 11 and indicated staff would follow up with the requested map and any final scheduling materials ahead of the formal vote.
