Walworth County's Route Genie rollout wins praise but triggers rider learning curve

Walworth County and its vendor reported steady progress with Route Genie, the new ride-scheduling system that went live May 4, but said early implementation created a learning curve for some riders and drivers.

Craig, representing VIP Services, told the Transportation Committee the county ran Route Genie in tandem for a few days before switching entirely to the new system. "The whole month of May has been Route Genie," he said, adding staff embedded the vendor's tech personnel and a consultant to help drivers and customers through early glitches.

Craig described how Route Genie communicates with riders: the system sends night-before notifications and live updates that can move pick-up times by 10 to 15 minutes on the day of travel. "In the new system, let's say they get a call the night before, everybody gets a call or a text or an email saying, okay, you're gonna be picked up at 09:50. And then the day of the event, it could be changed to 09:40," he said. Staff reported cancellations remain but are shifting earlier, which allows the system to refill trips rather than losing that day's seat.

Committee members raised accessibility concerns for seniors and landline users; Craig said riders can opt out of phone calls in the system and that a rider app is expected in the coming weeks. On payments, Craig said a county portal for card acceptance is "in the works" but did not provide a firm delivery date.

Why it matters: operators said Route Genie improves live visibility and response time, but short-notice time shifts require support for less tech-savvy riders. Staff recommended sensitive rollout messaging to reduce confusion for senior and landline-only riders.

What happens next: staff will continue to monitor cancellations and app adoption and provide an update at the next committee meeting.