The Walworth County Transportation Coordinating Committee held a public hearing on December 2 on a proposal to add Sunday hours to the county'operated shared-ride taxi service, hearing several supporters and outlining a soft-launch implementation targeted for Jan. 12, 2025.

The proposal would keep current weekday hours (Monday'Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and Saturday hours (7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) unchanged, and add Sunday service from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the county'wide shared-ride taxi program. County staff said the specialized transportation program'which serves seniors (60+), people with disabilities and veterans for out-of-county medical trips'will not operate on Sundays.

Why it matters: County staff and public commenters said Sunday hours would reduce social isolation and allow residents who cannot drive to attend religious services, community events and errands on weekends. Staff warned the service will require rider education on scheduling and shared-ride expectations to maintain cost efficiency.

County staff outlined the implementation details presented at the hearing. The initial rollout would likely operate three to four vehicles on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with adjustments based on actual rider demand. Staff said the county asked the WisDOT (Wisconsin Department of Transportation) for a change order to permit the expanded hours; that request was submitted the week of the meeting and was necessary to align funding and contract year timing. Staff characterized the Jan. 12, 2025, effective date as planned but subject to change pending final administrative steps and state approvals.

The committee and staff described how the shared-ride model affects trip times: pick-ups can include multiple stops to create shared trips, which can lengthen travel time for riders who need to arrive at a fixed appointment. Staff emphasized the need for riders to register with the service in advance, to call as early as possible to allow scheduling of shared trips, and to cancel as soon as possible to allow rescheduling; cancellations within two hours may be recorded as no-shows and could affect continued access.

Public comment at the hearing was uniformly supportive. Pastor Paul Vanderberg of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Lake Geneva said the expanded hours would "take care of a lot of things" and let homebound members "fully experience life in all of our lakes communities." Wilma Zomer Koeman, whose father lives at Lakeland Nursing Home, said the extra hours would allow residents to attend Sunday services and afternoon events more often. Tom Galki, who said he works with area churches, urged the committee to view the change as reducing isolation and increasing community participation. An emailed comment from Patricia Grosso of Williams Bay said the emailed comment deadline (noon on New Year's Day) was poorly timed but said she supported the additional hours and praised the shared-ride service.

The public hearing was opened and closed by committee motion and voice vote during the meeting (opening and closing motions were approved). Staff described next steps: a soft launch with public notices, a county news release and social media posts; tracking of Sunday-specific driver hours and trip-efficiency metrics; and a later, fuller launch tied to the program's broader rebranding work.

Closing note: Staff said no further committee action was required that day to move forward with implementation, but added that final implementation depended on the WisDOT change order, vehicle staffing and monitored rider demand during the soft launch.