A taxi service that provides low-cost rides has been proposed for two Oconto County communities. The Oconto NEWCAP office contacted city leaders in Oconto and Oconto Falls to determine if they would support a shared-ride taxi service.
“We are in the very beginning stages of determining if something like this can be done,” said Peggy Zielinski, NEWCAP mobility manager. “We would love to get it started if the need is there and the support is there.”
A shared-ride taxi service provides affordable transportation for low-income, elderly and disabled residents so they can fulfill employment, medical and other needs. Zielinski said the service would be available to anyone if space is available.
Zielinski said rides cost $2 to $3 for the primary audience and slightly higher for everyone else.
A community must have a population of at least 2,500 and must submit applications to be considered eligible for federal and state funding for the service. If it is determined a community would benefit from the service and grants are approved, government funding could potentially cover 80 percent of the costs. The remaining 20 percent would be covered by city, county or private grants.
Oconto Falls Mayor Brad Rice said two previous taxi services in Oconto Falls stopped running because of a lack of business, and he has not yet heard of any interest in the proposed program.
“I really don’t know how it would be used,” Rice said.
Rice also questioned how a taxi service would co-exist with transportation provided by the Commission on Aging. Zielinski said it would not duplicate services already available.
Mary Ann Lamanski, a manager at Kingdom Come, a food pantry in Oconto Falls, also was unsure how many of the pantry’s low-income clients could take advantage of a shared-ride service.
“There are some people who do not have vehicles, but those people are usually the ones that have no money,” Lamanski said. “Everybody else who comes usually has a vehicle or has a ride.”
Oconto Mayor Victoria Bostedt said she is excited about the possibility of having a shared-ride service in Oconto. She said visitors to Oconto, particularly boaters, are limited in their ability to travel around the city due to a lack of public transportation.
The service would also aid residents who are unable to drive or unable to afford their own vehicles, she said.
“What I am looking at is the whole picture of having a taxi service, period,” Bostedt said. “Transportation throughout the city is one of my top priorities.”
Shared Ride Taxi services already operate in Marinette and Shawano.
Marinette Mayor Denise Ruleau said the city recently added a fourth vehicle to its fleet due to demand. The service has been offered since 1996.
“(The feedback) is all very positive. We receive very few complaints,” Ruleau said. “People really do like it.”
To maintain the service, Marinette submits an application every year and works with the state to acquire funding. Every five years, the city puts out a request for proposal for service providers.
Ruleau said elderly residents use the service most often, although others take advantage of the cheap transportation, also. The only misconception with the service is that people don’t realize it is for everyone, she said.
“It’s a really good program,” Ruleau said.
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