Dunn County transit director outlines fleet changes, rural pilot service and budget in 2024 annual report

Austin Witt, transit director for Dunn County Transit, told the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 15 that the transit agency saw strong gains on its community route in 2024, has upgraded fleet capacity and vehicle communications, and plans a pilot program in June 2025 to provide monthly service to outlying quadrants of the county.

Witt said the community route posted its best year ever in 2024, with an increase of about 12% compared with 2023 for that route, and that the Stout (university) route’s ridership is weather‑sensitive. He said the county bought larger buses at auction to replace older cutaway vehicles, and that the new double‑door buses roughly double passenger capacity compared with the prior vehicles.

"These double the capacity of our other buses," Witt said, describing one of the larger buses as a 51‑seat vehicle that entered service in October. He also described new GPS hardware installed last year and a new driver reporting app that automates pre‑trip checks and maintenance alerts.

Witt said a rural pilot set to begin in June 2025 will operate one day per month in each of four quadrants of Dunn County (northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest). Riders will call in advance and the system will build a route for that quadrant on the scheduled day, connecting riders to Menomonie or other destinations and linking with in‑town door‑to‑door and community routes. The pilot is a collaboration with the county Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC).

Witt explained the pilot’s cost structure and subsidy design in response to questions from supervisors. He said ADRC funding is expected to cover a portion of long out‑of‑town rides and that a two‑rider trip would approach a revenue breakeven point for local share in a typical one‑hour out‑of‑town run. He gave example fares: $4 one‑way for in‑town door‑to‑door trips and $7 one‑way for out‑of‑town door‑to‑door trips; the community route uses a lower fare structure for fixed‑route service.

Board members praised training and safety upgrades. Supervisor Gary Bjork noted that buses carry Narcan and that drivers have received Narcan and CPR training; Witt confirmed every bus has two Narcan doses and drivers hold certifications in CPR and AED. Supervisor McCullough commended Witt for trying operational improvements and outreach.

Witt reviewed the agency’s funding sources: federal and state WisDOT operating grants, a new contract with the City of Menomonie (converted from a prior subsidy arrangement), an annual UW–Stout contract for university service and passenger fares. He said Dunn County Transit takes no county levy dollars for operations and described a roughly line‑by‑line grant and fare revenue breakdown in the presentation packet.

On electric buses, Witt said Dunn County Transit received a low‑emission grant award in 2018 for two electric buses and that charging infrastructure was installed in 2022. He said the buses and associated battery suppliers have experienced industry delays and that the county now expects delivery near the end of 2025; battery technology improved from the originally specified 115‑kilowatt packs to about 150‑kilowatt packs in more recent models, which should increase range.

Witt asked supervisors for help spreading the word about the rural pilot and said staff will use transit newsletters, municipal contacts and other outreach channels to notify residents before the June start date. He also described plans to pilot selective advertising and methods to raise local share without raising fares.

The presentation packet and slides in the meeting packet show the detailed ridership charts, a vehicle acquisition summary and the proposed pilot timeline. Supervisors asked follow‑up questions about outreach, cost recovery, snow removal at stops and likely impacts of cold weather on electric vehicles; Witt said he would follow up with additional technical information on battery cold‑weather performance.

Witt ended by asking supervisors for feedback on outreach channels and by noting that staff will return with additional pilot details and an evaluation plan as the June start date approaches.