County rolls out ride-share program for 2026

WAUPACA – After the funding for the City of Waupaca’s catch-a-ride service ended in 2025, residents in the area were in desperate need for a transportation service which has led to a new county -wide service.
The previous ride service was funded through a Workforce Development grant which was initially intended to give rides to people to and from their work place, a service that expanded to supply more rides for those who need them.
The grant had run out in 2025, but the city kept the program going through the end of the year, once it was decided the program would end in the City of Waupaca, the county took over to create a county-wide shared ride program.
To start the county-wide program, the county is receiving Department of Transportation (DOT) 5311 funding, which according to the Wisconsin DOT is a federal program that directs funds to rural areas and supports capital and operational expenses of public transportation services.
Feonix – Mobility Rising was awarded the contract for the county to supply rides for those who need one for a nominal fee.

The new service has been available for only the last two weeks; however, Ryan Brown, director of planning and zoning, said it has been a smooth transition.
Brown was present at the council meeting Jan. 6 to talk about the new plan and explain some of the things to expect as the program is rolling out.
One thing to expect is calling for a ride 24 to 48 hours ahead of time, something Henry Veleker, an alderman, was concerned about.
“So is it a fair comment to say that our service is not going to be at the level that we’ve had before in terms of demand and response?” Veleker asked.
Veleker said that the previous service allowed for same-day rides, and wanted to know if that is something that will be able to happen again.
Brown said while the program is just starting that it is data-driven, meaning they will look at all data concerning hours of the day where rides are busiest, where the rides are going, money coming in and so on.
With this data they can work to figure out how many drivers they will need to be at full capacity, how many cars and vans will be needed to give rides efficiently as needed, namely the data will be used to determine what full operational capacity will mean for the county as a whole.
Brown said currently they are working on hiring and training drivers and call-center employees to start growing the program.
“The tricky part about this is that in order for this program to be solvent into the future, to be long-term sustainable we have to be very careful,” Brown said. “That’s why we require the 24 hours because as it stands now we don’t have a ton of capacity.”
Brown said he is currently working on adding to the vehicle fleet as they are working on transferring three more handicapped vans that the city had previously used in their program, as well as one vehicle that is purchased from the state as part of the public transportation office.
With the new van from the state that will make for nine vehicles the program will have to offer.
Brown said he is hoping that the program is fully operational within the next two months.
There will be three ways to schedule a ride, one way is through the Catch-a-Ride app, which can be downloaded on a phone, or call at 920-214-8214 or book online.
Currently, rides are being provided between Waupaca and New London with a stop off in Weyauwega. Brown said he hopes to get up towards Clintonville with stops in Manawa in the next year.
The service is available seven days a week, Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to midnight, Saturday 6 a.m. to midnight and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The fees are for one-way, with zero to five miles costing $3, five to ten miles will cost $4 and anything over ten miles will cost $5.
More information can be found at www.waupacacountycatcharide.org.