Dunn County Transit Committee reviews 2025 annual report; electric buses expected mid-2025

Dunn County Transit Committee members met Jan. 7 to review a near-final 2025 annual report that showed a roughly $19,000 surplus, ridership gains on several routes and a timeline for two new electric buses expected in mid-2025, a staff speaker said.

The report, presented by Speaker 2 (role/title not specified), summarized the committee’s financial position, ridership trends and fleet plans. "We still have about $19,000 to the good at about 3%," Speaker 2 said, and added that outstanding payroll and receivables should bring the budget closer to target. He told the committee the transit annual report is due to the county board next Wednesday and that the draft was approximately 90% complete.

Why it matters: the committee’s briefings affect service planning and procurement decisions that can change local transit availability and costs. Committee members discussed near-term revenues, a small-year-end grant and fare receipts that remain pending, alongside ridership patterns that inform whether vehicles or routes should be added or adjusted.

Financial and revenue highlights: Speaker 2 said quarters 1 and 2 revenue have been received while quarter 3 payments were still outstanding; quarter 4 reports are due at month’s end. He identified a Mass Transit/Human Services grant of about $8,521 and noted an expected year-end transfer of roughly $7,000. Passenger fares and some agency payments from November and December were still being collected.

Ridership and program changes: Ridership was described as stable and improving in several areas. Speaker 2 said the community route’s 2025 ridership was about 29% higher than 2024 overall. He also noted the system’s free-fare experiment and route restructuring that began in mid-2021 and that fares were reinstated Sept. 1, 2023. "This rural doorstop program has been in service now for 6 months," Speaker 2 said, describing the pilot as low-cost and targeted to rural Dunn County trips; early low uptake was attributed in part to limited volunteer-driver availability.

Operations and data issues: Committee staff flagged differences between AM and PM ridership on the Stout route and said assignment or software issues undercounted some late-night runs by an estimated 10%–30% in certain months. Staff said reassigning buses addressed some of those anomalies. The committee also discussed a few short service gaps (15–20 minutes) when buses went into interlock mode and praised quick recovery because of short travel distances between vehicles.

Fleet procurement and timeline: Speaker 2 reported the county placed a revised purchase order for two 14-passenger electric buses and that Buy America verification documents were being processed. "If this is assumed," he said, the buses could arrive between June and August 2025. He added the county is also moving forward to acquire a conventional gas bus to replace an older 2017 vehicle.

Compliance and safety: Speaker 2 said the county was selected for a 2025 desk review and that documentation has been submitted. (The transcript text at one point refers to "Thumb County" in SEG 307; the meeting and materials are for Dunn County.) Speaker 1 highlighted the committee’s safety record: "we had 0 accidents," he said, praising drivers’ defensive driving while other members recounted near-miss incidents on local streets.

Procedural notes and next steps: The committee approved minutes from the Nov. 12 meeting by voice vote during the session. No substantive public comments were offered at the meeting. The committee set its next meeting for April 8 at the same time and place.

The annual report will be finalized for submission to the county board next week; staff said they would incorporate any final committee feedback before that deadline.