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Study finds limited weekday savings from on-demand transit; staff flags weekend routes and vehicle-size as targets
Summary
A Via Transportation study presented May 8 found no cost savings for weekday on-demand service in Waukesha; staff identified Routes 5, 6 and 15 on weekends as possible targets for smaller vehicles or changes and reported strong METROLIFT growth.
Transit staff presented the findings of an on-demand feasibility study on May 8 and recommended against wholesale weekday conversion to on-demand service after analysis by Via Transportation.
Brian Bridal, the transit presenter, said Via analyzed multiple scenarios and concluded the vendor could not identify cost-saving on-demand alternatives for weekday fixed-route service under current ridership and financial constraints. Bridal said Via instead identified two cost-neutral scenarios: replacing weekday fixed service for portions of Route 5 (southwest) and Route 15 (southeast) with on-demand operations. Via’s analysis strongly recommended against putting Route 9 on an on-demand model because it would raise costs.
“Current data, current state,” Bridal said, noting that institutional or land-use changes — such as the YMCA moving toward WCTC — could change modeling results and warrant a future revisit. Alderman Piper asked whether a future change in destination patterns would justify re-running the analysis; Bridal said yes.
Commissioners focused discussion on weekend service levels and vehicle sizing. Several commissioners questioned whether smaller vehicles or van-style service could replace 30-foot buses on low-ridership weekend runs. Bridal noted trade-offs: procurement costs for additional vans, fare-box configurations, and federal procurement history that favors larger vehicles. He said the agency has some spare buses available on weekends and that MetroLift ridership was growing rapidly.
In the quarter-one ridership report included in the packet, staff reported fixed-route ridership up about 2.25% year over year for the period and METROLIFT ridership up roughly 24% in the first quarter. Bridal said MetroLift now consistently runs three vehicles and that continued growth could require procurement of additional small buses; he cautioned that METROLIFT service is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Commissioners also discussed private providers such as Lyft and Uber. Staff said those companies have become more expensive and raised concerns about contractor background checks and liability when serving vulnerable populations; staff noted that other communities have used Via or similar vendors for evenings and Saturdays but that doing so in Waukesha would increase costs under current data.
Next steps and potential changes
Staff said the study was a useful exercise and placed several on-demand options “in the back pocket” for future consideration. Commissioners and staff flagged Routes 5, 6 and 15 on weekends for closer monitoring and possible service adjustments, including smaller vehicles or weekend-only changes. Staff said the system will consolidate from 10 routes to 8 on June 2 and that signage and rider notification were already in place. Bridal also noted the transit operation won a Transit Mutual Insurance safety award for 2024.
The presentation did not produce an immediate policy change; staff will continue to analyze ridership and operational costs and may revisit on-demand options if local conditions or institutional travel patterns change.
