Ad hoc committee takes stock of local transit options

A newly formed ad hoc committee of the Rhinelander Common Council met recently at City Hall to examine the state of public transportation in the city, hearing from the manager of the region’s existing service and raising pointed questions about what it would take to fill the gaps left by the discontinued shared-ride taxi program.
The committee — composed of council members Carrie Mikalauski, Luke Kramer and Gerald Anderson — convened to assess whether the city should revive some version of the shared-ride program, lean more heavily on the existing Northwoods Transit Connections, or pursue an entirely different approach. Their chief resource at the table was Barb Newman, director of Northwoods Transit Connections, who walked members through the scope, funding structure and daily realities of the current system.
Newman explained that Northwoods Transit Connections, which is overseen by the Oneida Vilas Transit Commission, was created in 2015 through a joint planning grant between Oneida and Vilas counties. It operates two buses in the Rhinelander area Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. One bus runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a second from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., creating an overlap window in the middle of the day that Newman said represents the system’s busiest period.
Riders can be picked up at their homes and taken anywhere within an eight-mile radius of the ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center), with fares of $2.75 for the general public and $2 for seniors and people with disabilities — or $4 round trip. A food pantry bus runs twice a month on the second and fourth Mondays, and a shopping bus runs every Tuesday between Trig’s and Walmart, both at half-price fares of $2 round trip.
The system also transports clients of Headwaters Incorporated, a workshop for adults with disabilities on Timber Drive, and runs routes connecting Rhinelander to communities including Three Lakes, Eagle River, Tomahawk, Woodruff and Minocqua, she added. A newer route serves the Highway K corridor north through Hazelhurst to Minocqua twice a month.

Newman said the service is open to anyone — a departure from the old shared-ride taxi program, which was legally restricted to passengers 60 and older or those with disabilities.
“When the shared-ride taxi was here, we were limited to persons 60 and older or persons with disabilities,” Newman said. “We couldn’t take anybody from the general public.”
Newman outlined a layered funding model that relies on federal, state and local dollars. The Federal Transit Administration covers 50% of expenses through a 5311 grant, the state contributes roughly 5.6 to 5.7%, and the remainder comes from local share contributions, fare revenue and payments from managed care organizations.
Oneida County’s ADRC contributes a tax levy of approximately $29,000, which is leveraged into a $144,551 contract with Oneida Vilas Transit. Vilas County’s ADRC and Headwaters Incorporated also contribute local share. Managed care organizations — insurers that coordinate transportation for eligible clients — paid $32,950 into the system last year.
Fare revenue from Rhinelander-area service totaled roughly $11,900 in 2025. System-wide, fare revenue came to about $64,760.
The shared-ride taxi program’s cancellation, in late 2024, sparked public concern, with residents — particularly those using wheelchairs — expressing worry about being stranded. The committee dug into data from 2024, the final year of the program, to understand ridership patterns. Between midnight and 3 a.m., the entire year saw just 286 rides — fewer than one per day. The heaviest ridership occurred between 9 and 11 a.m. (1,873 rides) and between 3 and 4 p.m. (2,052 rides).
Anderson noted that volatility in cost was the central reason the shared-ride program became untenable for the city. “One year it was $25,000, next year it’d be $70,000 — that’s pretty volatile when you’re cutting big numbers out of your budgets,” he said.
Kramer added that the city’s financial picture remains tight. “Contrary to public opinion, you don’t have all the money in the world,” he said. “It’s getting tighter.”
The shared-ride program was also structured so that costs rose directly with ridership, making budgeting unpredictable. A fixed-route system, committee members noted, would offer a known, stable annual cost — a significant advantage.
Much of the discussion centered on whether a dedicated fixed route within the city could serve residents more reliably. Newman said a fixed route could carry a different fare structure than the on-demand service, and that riders who are unable to walk to a stop could be served under paratransit rules, which allow pickups within three-quarters of a mile of a route.
Newman estimated that adding a fixed city route would require at least one additional bus. The transit commission currently has 15 vehicles total, but several are posted in Minocqua and Eagle River, and two are out of service.
Anderson raised the possibility of the city contracting directly with Northwoods Transit Connections, similar to arrangements Newman said exist elsewhere in the state — including a transit provider in the Ashland area who contracts with tribal governments and municipalities. Under such a model, the city’s contribution could serve as local share toward a federal grant, potentially multiplying its value.
The committee asked Newman to return with a rough cost estimate for the most expansive scenario being considered: service seven days a week, around the clock, 365 days a year. Anderson’s idea was to start with the largest number and work backwards to something the city could realistically afford. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at 2 p.m. For more information on Northwoods Transit Connections, visit https://www.northwoodstransit.org/.