Wausau MetroRide buses. Image courtesy: WAOW TV.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Bus riders in Wausau won’t have to potentially wait at the bus stop for longer than a route anymore.
Thursday afternoon the Wausau Transit Commission narrowly voted to lift the bus capacity limits for Metro Ride buses. Before the meeting buses were only able to carry 15 riders at one time. Transit Director Greg Seubert requested the capacity limit be lifted as buses have been near or slightly above capacity limits most days, especially during the routes taking kids to and from school.
“And we are on occasion stranding passengers. This primarily happens to school and from school and this generally involves students. And this is not to say that we are inundated with large crowds. We are just somewhat exceeding our current capacity limits,”.
Seubert also mentioned that the CDC recommendations for bus capacity limits had not changed from 10 riders since December of 2020. The Commission was fairly evenly split on the decision with 3 Commission members in favor of the change while 2 Commission members wanted to keep bus capacity limits.
Jen Bizzotto, a citizen member of the commission and District 2’s Marathon County Board Supervisor, wasn’t in favor of the change as COVID-19 case numbers have begun to increase across the state. “We can talk all day and night about the arbitrariness of numbers. But the fact remains the more people packed into an enclosed space, the higher the risk.
“The risk has not been significantly mitigated. And I think people’s perception that the risk is lower, doesn’t match up with the reality that the risk isn’t lower. I understand that people are feeling more comfortable being in enclosed spaces with more and more people. But the science doesn’t reflect that and I think that’s why the CDC hasn’t changed those guidelines,”.
Citizen member Kathi Zoern also spoke out about lifting the bus capacity limits as a frequent rider of the bus system. Zoern said she wouldn’t feel safe on the bus with more riders allowed on at one time.
Those members in favor of the capacity limit removal like District 11 Alder Deb Ryan says the short bus ride time and other mitigation measures should keep risk levels low. “We’re talking about a bus route that goes 15 minutes out. And then circles back. We’re not talking about a bus route that may go miles and miles and maybe over an hour ride to get out to some other neighborhoods,”.
Commission Chair and District 6 Alder Becky McElhaney said she was in favor of lifting capacity limits to make sure Metro Ride kept its agreement to provide bus service to the Wausau School District. “School has tasked children to go to school. So because of that, we have decided far back that we were going to be a service provider for that. And I feel that’s part of our service that we stated we would provide,”.
After around 15 minutes of discussion from the Commission, lifting the bus capacity limits passed on a 3-2 vote. The Commission also voted to suspend the collection of passenger fares until September. The money usually made from passenger fares by Metro Ride is currently being covered by federal COVID-19 relief money like the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
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