Advocates urge continued funding for same‑day paratransit pilot, report rising ridership

Members of the Milwaukee County same‑day paratransit task force and disability advocates urged the transportation committee to continue funding a same‑day paratransit pilot program and highlighted rising ridership during public comment.

Kevin Myers, a member of the countys same‑day pilot task force and the Independence First Transportation Advocacy Committee, thanked the committee for previously funding the pilot and described how earlier restrictions limited ridership. Myers said changes made by the task force, DOT and Transit Plus increased usage and allowed users to respond to unforeseen, same‑day needs that fixed 24‑hour paratransit scheduling could not meet.

Becky Rubanton, community access and legislative policy analyst at Independence First and co‑chair of the transportation advocacy team, said task force members helped shape the pilot beginning in April 2023 and supported vendor selection and outreach. Rubanton said ridership started very low but has grown; she told the committee there were 221 rides provided in the previous month and that Transit Pros (the vendor) reported minimal complaints. She asked the county to include operational funding for the pilot in the 2026 fiscal year budget and said task force members have also sought state support via the Joint Committee on Finance.

Both speakers said no formal rider survey has yet been completed but that anecdotal feedback from users has been positive, and they offered to continue working with county staff to identify funding needs and priorities. The comments were delivered as part of the public comment period; the pilot itself was presented earlier to the committee as an informational item and there was no committee vote on funding at this meeting.