Mayor, residents react to cancellation of shared ride program

The public comment portion of the Oct. 28 meeting of the Rhinelander Common Council was focused primarily on the panel’s recent decision to discontinue its shared ride taxi program, Rhinelander Public Transit, in 2025. The vote, which took place during the council’s Oct. 14 meeting, came after the alderpersons were advised that the city’s share to fund the program in 2025 would be approximately $75,000 rather than the estimated $25,000.

During last Monday’s pubic comment period, Jon Haack, supervisor of Rhinelander Public Transit, told the alders his staff will be left unemployed after Dec. 31, 2024.

“With you guys not funding us, you're putting 17 to 18 people out of a job,” he said.

While there is another local taxi service in Rhinelander, it offers lower wages than Running Inc., the Viroqua-based company currently contracted to run the city’s taxi service, he advised.

The Oct. 14 vote was to exercise the city’s option to terminate its contract with Running Inc. The alderpersons decided to take that step after learning that the city’s share would be substantially more than expected ($75,000 as opposed to $25,000) and ridership has been decreasing over the last few years.

 There were 59,349 passenger and 785 agency trips in 2021, 51,944 passenger and 5,376 agency trips in 2022, and 41,508 passenger and 7,461 agency trips in 2023, according to information submitted to the council by city finance director Wendi Bixby.

Jim Rosenthal is a frequent customer.

During public comment, Rosenthal told the council he loves Rhinelander, having relocated here just a few years ago, but is concerned that the cancellation of the shared ride program will leave him homebound.

“When I had to move from Appleton, my daughter looked through the Northwoods to find a place for me to live and we chose Rhinelander because of the quality of life in this community,” he said. “I have lived here for three years. It is the friendliest, kindest community I have ever lived in.”

“I live and breathe this community,” he continued. “My daughter and grandkids live in Eagle River but I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Hodag. I love living here and as I interact in this community I am shown kindness and compassion and concern like no place I’ve lived in my life and I’m going on 80 years old.”

Rosenthal went on to explain that he uses the transit service to go to church twice a week and his health insurance supplement plan require him to buy his groceries in person.

He also noted he uses the service for both regular medical treatment visits and occasional unexpected trips to the emergency room as well as to shop at local businesses.

Rosenthal said there are plenty of people like him in Rhinelander who need this service to “have a life.”

 “Or I’ll be sitting in my apartment 24-7 most of the rest of my life,” he said. “I need this service.”

In his remarks, Haack noted that Rhinelander Transit is the only taxi service that has wheelchair-accessible vans, which is vitally important for people who are being discharged from the hospital, for example. 

Later, as part of the “new business” portion of its agenda, the council was advised that the DOT has directed that a public hearing on the discontinuance of the program be held, even though the council has already voted on the matter.

“Seems a little backwards, but this is the way they communicated with Wendi and I that this is how it needs to be done,” noted city administrator Patrick Reagan.

The hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 25 in the council chambers.

Following the meeting, the River News asked Mayor Kris Hanus whether the council could reverse course following the public hearing.

According to Hanus, the council could reinstate the program for 2025 but it would cost even more than $75,000 because the state and federal aid is now off the table. He estimated the cost would be “north of $500,000” if the council were to fund the program in 2025.

“The state funding and the federal funding, that door is shut,” he said.

“Is it still possible to have some form of subsidized transit that the city pays for? Absolutely. But what does that look like and how do we pay for it?” he continued. “I don’t know where you pull up $500,000 without laying off five or six employees.”

Hanus stressed that he empathizes with those who are concerned about the loss of the service, particularly the predicament of those who use wheelchairs.

“We talked to Hodag Cab (taxi service) and they're in the process of trying to buy a van like that. We also had one or two people reach out from the healthcare industry that they’re looking to try to solve that problem too. So I think we might see a partnership between one or two companies in the healthcare realm and maybe Hodag (Cab) to make that a reality,” he said. “I think if we had the 24-7 wheelchair-friendly van in the private sector, I think we would solve the biggest issue on the table here...”

He also noted that Running Inc. absolutely can continue operating in Rhinelander.

“Just because the city doesn’t want to subsidize Running Inc., they have every right to still work in the city,” he said. “No one’s pushing them out. You know, if they choose not to, well, that’s their business model. That’s their plan to leave the city and lay off those employees and to do that.”

“My guess is they don’t think they could be effective without the taxpayer dollars funding them,” he added.

Also, if Running Inc. does ultimately choose to cease operations in Rhinelander, Hodag Cab is likely to see an increase in ridership which could prompt the hiring of additional drivers, he noted. 

There are many other local businesses searching for workers as well, he added.

“On one hand, I do feel bad for these guys because, you know, they might have an employment change, but almost every place in this town is hiring at that $12 to $15 range,” he said.

Hanus called the discontinuation for 2025 an experiment of sorts. If it turns out the private sector cannot handle the extra ridership, the council can vote to resume the program in 2026.

“Kind of the cool part about this is just because we’re ending it for 2025 doesn’t mean that door is shut forever,” he said. “It takes about four months to bring it back. So if this is something that the city council wants in 2026, to bring it back, as long as we started four months roughly in the future... it could be brought back for ‘26, ‘27, ‘28.”

Ultimately, Hanus said the administration and the council have to consider the needs of the entire city of approximately 7,000 residents and how best to allocate the limited funds it has.

“There's more and more costs coming onto the city without the revenue to support it,” he said. “So it’s like, where, where do you want to push? I mean, it’s a (council) decision at the end of the day, it’s their decision of do we let go of (firefighters)? Do we let go of a cop? Do we sell a city park? Do we do this other stuff? We’re not the federal government. We can’t print money.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].