Copyright Madison Newspapers, Inc. Sep 7, 2006
Long a Madison-focused bus service, increasing interest from suburban communities - from Sun Prairie to Cross Plains, and now, Stoughton, Oregon and Evansville - has Metro Transit moving toward becoming a regional service.
Today, proposals for routes that would extend bus service to Stoughton and Oregon in Dane County, along with Evansville in northwestern Rock County, will be discussed at the Oregon-Area Public Transit Committee after months of analyzing potential bus ridership data.
"Very definitely we are expanding," said Sharon Persich, Metro's planning and scheduling manager. "Now the interest is definitely moving further," she said. "I do think (it is) probably largely related to the price of fuel. Also, over the years, we have gotten requests from people living out in these communities."
Although the proposed routes are still in preliminary stages, "I think that these are indications of support and market for regional mass transit," Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. "I think at some point there will be interest in moving beyond just contracts with communities to a truly regional service, which would mean regional governance and a regional funding base."
Currently Metro provides service in the city and town of Madison, Middleton, Fitchburg and Verona.
Cross Plains has done a survey and is considering the ridership costs and revenue estimates, Persich said. Sun Prairie has done a survey as well but put the project on hold, she said.
Metro ridership was up almost 7 percent in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005. But Metro also faces financial challenges including higher fuel costs, and it had to increase fares last year and trim some routes.
Based on a survey sponsored by the Oregon-Area Public Transit Committee, Metro devised two routes and two variants that would serve Oregon, Stoughton and Evansville. Both options bring residents to the Capitol Square, via either the South Transfer Point or the Dutch Mill Park and Ride.
In the first proposal, there would be two morning and afternoon trips from Evansville and Stoughton while Oregon would have four. In the second proposal, two trips would be offered in the morning and afternoon to Stoughton, Oregon and Evansville.
Slightly different options for the two routes include a second inbound bus in the morning from Stoughton and Evansville.
"We wanted to give them as many feasible options or ideas as possible ... without running up the cost too much," Persich said.
The two routes would cost $79,700 to $114,000 annually, which would be paid by three communities.
"I really hope this can work," said Hans Noeldner, a village of Oregon trustee and committee chairman, adding that increased bus ridership can help ease demand for fuel and road construction.
Janis Ringhand, former Evansville mayor and committee member, said the costs are in the neighborhood of what the committee expected.
She said the proposed routes would serve Evansville residents well "if people are willing to have a little flexibility built into their schedule."
In the survey, more than 2,000 people from Stoughton, Evansville, Oregon, Brooklyn and the towns of Oregon, Rutland, Dunn, Pleasant Springs, Dunkirk and Union said they were interested in Metro service and indicated how many weekly trips they might take, Persich said.
Once those responses were filtered, the data showed residents could make about 95 trips per day depending on the route, she said.
"With one bus having to cover all that distance, schedule times don't always work for everybody," she said. "You're not providing a lot of schedule choices with one bus."
Now the municipalities will need to determine if the projected ridership is worth the cost, Persich said.
If you go
WHAT: Meeting of the Oregon-Area Public Transit Committee. Members will discuss Metro Transit bus route proposals for the Oregon, Stoughton and the Evansville