City and county collaborate on sustainable cab program

WAUPACA – The City of Waupaca and Waupaca County are evaluating a proposed long-term financial strategy to sustain the new county-wide transit system while managing local budget impacts.

The City of Waupaca’s ride-share service came to an end in 2025 due to rising costs incurred by the city, which exceeded the original $10,000 budget by over $100,000.

The previous ride service was funded through a Workforce Development grant, which was initially intended to give rides to people to and from their workplace, a service that expanded to supply more rides for those that need the service.

The grant had run out about midway through 2025, but the City of Waupaca kept the program going through the end of the year; however, once it was decided the program would end in the city, the county took over with their Catch-a-Ride program.

The Catch-a-Ride program provides rides throughout the county for an affordable rate.

With the ride share program now up and running, sustainably funding the program has become the focus of the city, as well as the county.

“This year we are in a transitional year to Waupaca County Catch-a-Ride, and Waupaca County is also in a transitional year to understand what the cost-share obligation is going to look like to make this a sustainable solution for them,” said Greg Grohman, finance director for the city, at a Sept. 15 City Council meeting.

Grohman said that at a county transit workshop held in August, a $4.65 per capita fee was proposed to cover program costs.

For the City of Waupaca, this amounts to just under $30,000 annually.

The proposed annual fee would take into consideration the transfer and sale of several transit vehicles that the city had with its previous ride program.

Only one of the previous fleet remains in operation with the county, while the rest were no longer roadworthy and were sold at auction, Public Works Director Justin Berrens said.

Mayor Brian Smith said the city’s fleet vehicles were purchased with a combination of grants and government funds, which leads to transfer agreements so there is a set of rules that need to be followed when selling these vehicles.

Grohman said that the proposed annual fee for 2026 would be paid in January 2027, so in January of 2028 they will be paying for 2027.

Smith said that during a meeting with Ryan Brown, Waupaca County planning and zoning director, the county is currently in talks with larger industry and business in the area to see if they would help contribute to the costs, being that a majority of the rides are to and from workplaces.

Those contributions would also serve to stabilize costs for the program, possibly even leading them to decrease for the city.

Smith also noted that if any communities opt out of the ride-share program, the per capita cost does not go up.

The city and county are continuing to collaborate on costs by creating a sustainable funding system that will drive the future success of program.

More information about the Catch-a-Ride program can be found at www.waupacacountycatcharide.org.