A commuter bus service piloted last spring looks like it will continue for the long haul.
The Janesville Transit System on Jan. 21 expanded service on the Innovation Express with additional pick-ups and stops in Janesville, Milton and Whitewater.
The area’s regional transportation system will now offer two more weekday trips, three new Saturday departures, and an additional Sunday trip to its existing three weekday and one Sunday trips.
A bulk of the tab to expand the service was made possible with a $243,525 Supplemental Transit – Rural Assistance Program grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
An additional $62,000 to cover the operating costs of the service is provided by a sponsoring consortium, including the cities of Milton and Whitewater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Generac Power Systems in Whitewater.
The balance of costs are expected to be covered by passenger fares and operating revenue with a goal of more than $54,000.
During the first eight months, with 5,167 passenger trips, the service generated $15,498 in operating revenue.
Based on these totals, about 18,000 passenger trips will need to be taken on the expanded service over 12 months to meet the revenue goal.
Offering a commuter line has been discussed since 1999. A series of public-private partnerships brought the project to fruition on April 30, 2012 when the Innovation Express began operation.
The commuter service was originally targeted toward people working at the University Technology Park.
With the vast majority of passengers being Generac employees, the previous schedule was built around the three-shift workday at the generator manufacturing company.
Dave Mumma, Janesville Transit System Director, said the new schedule is aimed at encouraging a much broader spectrum of ridership to step-aboard the bus.
“The City of Milton has identified a need for public transit service for its citizens to enhance mobility both within that community and for employment, education and retail trade throughout the region,” said Mumma.
“The new service provides expanded routing within that community as well as additional trips to make the service more convenient for more people in Milton.”
Mumma said the 12,000-plus students on the UW-Whitewater campus provide a large potential market for the Innovation Express, including travel for part-time employment, shopping and connections in Janesville with VanGalder Intercity bus service, which has routes to Chicago and Madison.
In addition, Mumma said results of a 2009 survey showed great interest in Janesville, particularly among non-traditional students, for convenient access to classes at the university as day students.
The expanded service will provide additional connectivity within Whitewater as well.
Mumma said the service will assist in attracting retail trade from throughout the region, as well as employees for a number of industries in Whitewater’s business park.
He said the City of Janesville sees the service as a means of meeting the city council’s goals of providing expanded employment opportunities and improving the local economy through increased regional connectivity.
New service features:
· Early-morning pickups at 4:45 a.m. and late-evening drop-offs at 11:15 p.m. at the Rock County Job center on Janesville’s south side and along the route to and from downtown Janesville
· New trips geared toward UW-Whitewater students. A new morning route will leave the Janesville Transfer Center at 7:45 a.m. and arrive on campus by 8:45 a.m. A second afternoon trip will leave Janesville at 3:45 p.m. and the UW-Whitewater campus at 5:10 p.m., which fills a gap between the existing 12:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Janesville departures.
· Three new Saturday trips at 7:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., as well as an additional Sunday trip at 12:45 p.m. added to the current 8:45 p.m. departure will provide regional access for work, retail trade and activities on UW-Whitewater campus for citizens throughout the region. The Sunday trips also provide easy access for UW students returning to campus from weekends out-of-town and arriving in Janesville on VanGalder intercity buses.
· Several weekday trips connect with the “Beloit-Janesville Express” intercity service jointly operated by JTS and Beloit Transit. This enables travel from downtown Beloit through Janesville and Milton, to Whitewater and return for the first time since a former private bus operator ended that service in 1982.
· JTS has added new bus pass sales locations at the Milton Piggly Wiggly and Milton City Hall, as well as existing locations at the Whitewater Municipal Center Finance Office and the UW-Whitewater Visitors Center.
For more information on the Innovation Express, visit www.uww.edu or call the Janesville Transit System at (608) 755-3150.
