Innovation Express transportation routes in Whitewater reduced
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The infant Innovation Express bus line that connects passengers to and from specific destination points in Whitewater, Janesville and Milton is cutting the frequency of its routes as the new year sets in.
The expected move from the Janesville Transit System (JTS), the entity overseeing the 3-year-old program, comes as a number of funding sources have either dwindled or outright evaporated.
Whitewater’s participation in the Innovation Express became a hot topic in recent months as the Common Council deliberated on the city’s 2014 budget.
Ultimately, the council voted to allocate $12,000 in city funds toward the service in 2014 – about $6,000 less than what had been requested.
The local Generac plant, one of a few Whitewater stops, also reduced its funding contribution this year. JTS had asked Generac to chip in $48,000 toward the service this year, but the company only pledged $18,000.
In an interview this week, JTS Director Dave Mumma said the organization was dealt another financial challenge with the loss of a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Since the inception of the Innovation Express, DOT funding comprised about two-thirds of the funding behind the bus line.
The loss of DOT funding instantly removed $240,000 of income from JTS’ budget for the Innovation Express.
The DOT’s grant was non-renewable, meaning it had a limited shelf life. But Mumma said JTS made further efforts to see if the state would provide any further funding.
“We made every attempt we could, but the state informed us they were phasing out this particular grant,” Mumma said. “Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the position of having to reduce the level of service.”
Read the rest of the story in this week’s issue of the Whitewater Register.
