OVTC discusses Rhinelander public transportation program cancellation

The Oct. 14 decision by the Rhinelander Common Council to, because of budget constraints, cancel its shared ride program was a topic of discussion at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Oneida Vilas Transit Commission (OVTC) which oversees the Rhinelander-based Northwoods Transit Connections (NTC).

That cancellation by the city in the primarily federally and state funded Shared Ride program takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. 

NTC director Barb Newman told commission members she has “reached out to the city” about the possibility of NTC “offering a fixed route.”

She said she’d spoken to city administrator Patrick Reagan.

“They’re taking a year off,” Newman said. “They’re not going to be spending any money in 2025 toward public transportation. The comment was made at the (city council) meeting Hodag Cab would be the taxi service for Rhinelander.”

She said there was no money in the NTC budget to run a fixed-route as well as the current five-day-week schedule of runs. 

Newman said, however, with the Shared Ride cancellation, NTC buses will be the only public transportation entity in the Rhinelander area that will have “wheelchair accessible vehicles.” 

“We’ll be the only one in the city of Rhinelander that has that,” she said. “Our service runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.”

Newman said her suggestion is NTC would continue to run its routes as it has, including those to Minocqua, Eagle River and other locations in the two counties.

“We’re working on plans to be more efficient,” she said. “We’re expecting more traffic.”

Newman said she’s spoken with Hodag Cab and would be “working with them to see how we could make this all work.”

“I’ve reached out to Lakeland Cab as well,” she said. “I haven’t reached out to any of the private providers to see if they’re going to be able to help pick up the wheelchair passengers.”

Are we obligated?

OVTC member Fred Radtke asked if the city were to go back into a transportation service in 2026 whether it would be obtained through the bidding process as had been the case with the city’s current contract with Running Inc. 

“They might,” Newman said. “I didn’t have that conversation so I don’t know. I mean, they can or they can do something different that’s just ... they could contract with us for some transportation services.”

“We’ll continue our on-demand service,” Radtke said. “I anticipate that will increase, probably ... we’d just be a very good fit for them as a service to their city being that we’re there already.”

OVTC member Billy Fried said it seemed the commission had gone “full circle.”

“When I first got on the (commission), we had private companies really concerned about us getting into the market and moving the disabled people,” he said. “Am I hearing there’s a need in the city because of the action they’re taking?”

“There might be,” Newman said. “I anticipate that there will be.”

“In a perfect world, if the city accepted funding from the DOT (Wisconsin Department of Transportation), would they be able to use that funding to contract with an entity like (NTC) or a private company?”

“Well, they did that now,” Newman said. “They did that with the Shared Ride taxi program. They contracted with another company. They could contract with us as well.”

She reiterated there wouldn’t be a change in the service NTC provides and is working to make the operation more efficient but at the same time, Newman said she hasn’t visited with many businesses in Rhinelander to see what their needs were in the way of public transportation. 

“This came about quickly for me since our public meeting is next month,” she said of the OVTC’s budget hearing. “Outside of our hours, we’re just not going to meet the needs of some of the people.”

Newman said Hodag Cab would pick up on weekends but doesn’t have, as NTC does, wheelchair accessible vehicles. 

Fried mentioned there had been on-demand funding available through the county aging and disability resource center (ADRC). 

“They still have their volunteer escort program and ... they have a purchase transportation program where they can purchase transportation for someone who qualifies,” Newman said but she added she was unsure of what the ADRC budget is for the purchase transportation program.

OVTC chairman Marv Anderson asked Newman why it is the city of Rhinelander decided “to take a break.”

“Was it finance?” he asked. “Was it they didn’t have enough staff?”

Newman said it was financial as prior to this year, the city didn’t contribute to the program but did budget $25,000 for 2024.

“In 2025, they needed $75,000 for it,” she said. “I don’t think it’s in their budget to do that.”

Newman said she will meet with Reagan again in the spring “to see what we can do to partner together.”

“I’m open to it but it’s not going to be in 2025,” she said.

Fried looked for clarification that in the meantime, there would be transportation service available on weekends for “those in need.”

“There are private entities that have wheelchair accessible vehicles outside of our service times,” Newman said. “What their prices are, I don’t know. And again, the ADRC has money to purchase transportation. People will need to contact them because I’m not completely sure how that works.”

Oneida County supervisor Steve Schreier, who represents four city wards on the county board and is a former member of the OVTC, said he was “very concerned about this.”

“One, I can’t express enough how disappointed I am in the city of Rhinelander,” he said. “I think it was extremely irresponsible of them to basically say ‘We’re not renewing the contract’ almost at the end of the service cycle and now, they’re just going to say ‘OK, who’s going to fill the void?’ Not that it’s this entity’s problem but at the same time, the taxpayers of Rhinelander should expect service from someone and they’re also residents of Oneida County.”

Up to now, Schreier said, the city of Rhinelander “took it upon themselves to provide shared ride service.”

“They’re saying ‘We’re no longer doing that’ and this entity (NTC) is saying ‘It’s not really something we budgeted for and not something we have a plan for,’” he said. “We’re also saying that to all the people who have a disability or need a ride ... they (NTC) don’t have any actual information to give them. If they were to start calling Oneida Vilas Transit because ... do we have the authority to pick anyone up in the city? It doesn’t sound like it. At least, not until the end of the year and then, what do those people and riders do at the beginning of the year?”

Essentially, Schreier’s question boiled down to this: how are the needs of the people of Rhinelander going to be dealt with by NTC, a transportation service “that’s supposedly provided” to residents of Oneida and Vilas counties?

“Steven, we work in the city of Rhinelander now,” Newman said. “We operate Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. We have one driver on at all times and we have two drivers during the middle of the day. We take care of seniors and persons with disabilities through those hours.”

Because of the Shared Ride taxi service, she said, NTC was unable to pick up “the general public.”

“We’re servicing Rhinelander now,” Newman said. “Please don’t forget that. We are servicing them now and we will continue to do that and we are trying to do so more efficiently so we can take more passengers.”

Schreier acknowledged what Newman was saying but continued to press his concern. 

“What we’re telling those people is their needs can only be met during certain hours,” he said. 

“Actually, the city of Rhinelander is telling them that,” Anderson said. “We’re not. I understand right where you’re coming from, Steve. It’s like are we obligated to adjust our budget and services to do that because Rhinelander said ‘We’re not doing it anymore’? There’s nothing nice about this at all.”

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].