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Valley Transit launches WSCO fare system; 50% adoption reported, connector ridership rising
Summary
Staff reported the WSCO fare system launched Aug. 1 and is approaching half of daily fare transactions; fixed-route ridership is roughly steady month to month while demand-response and connector services show growth.
Valley Transit staff reported progress on the agency’s new WSCO fare system rollout and gave a monthly ridership update to the commission.
"We launched WSCO on August 1," said Dave (staff member, operations). He added that as of the most recent week, the agency had roughly half of fare transactions through WSCO. "As of last week, about 45% of our ridership is coming through WSCO now," Dave said, and he noted that the system accounted for about 1,100 rides of the agency’s roughly 2,400 daily rides at this time of year.
Dave explained WSCO supports two payment methods: a smart card and a phone app. "It's about fifty‑fifty right now" between card and app usage, he said. The agency certified about 426 riders for reduced fares under WSCO. Staff also reported outreach partnerships and pilot programs with "Fox Valley Tech, Lawrence and the Appleton Area School District," and said the district’s student implementation appears to have high adoption: staff estimated adoption near 90% for the school program based on on‑site observations.
Staff reminded commissioners of two near-term operational deadlines tied to the rollout: free smart cards were available through the end of August; thereafter replacement cards will cost $2; and the agency’s legacy farebox will stop accepting the old fares at the end of the year. "The end of the year is the last time you can use the old fares in the farebox," Dave said; staff said they plan additional promotions and sign-up events as that deadline approaches.
On ridership numbers, staff said July fixed-route ridership was down about 1% (roughly 430 rides) versus the prior July; year‑to‑date fixed-route ridership remained down about 17% compared with the prior year. Conversely, demand‑response services (ADA and ancillary) were up about 17% year over year (approximately 1,100 additional rides), and connector service ridership was up 71% over last year. Staff attributed strong connector growth to increasing demand and noted the connector’s cost line in the budget had exceeded budget (134% of budget) because of higher ridership.
Commissioners asked for more detail on school-district adoption; staff said they would continue to monitor on‑vehicle boarding and compare system data to historical patterns to quantify adoption rates more precisely. No formal action was required or taken on the WSCO rollout during the meeting.
