Update: Tomah Transit Update: The Tomah City Council voted to move forward with modifying its 2027 contract with Abby Vans. The plan would shift vans from low-use hours to times when more riders need them, while reducing weekly service. More coming.
Tomah officials are considering discontinuing the city's public transportation program when the contract expires Dec. 31. A group of residents, health care workers, and advocates for people with disabilities gathered at City Hall to argue that the service cannot be eliminated without a viable replacement.
For many who spoke during a public hearing, Tomah transit is not simply an inexpensive way across town. It is how they get to work. It is how they reach the grocery store, the pharmacy, and medical appointments. It is also how some older residents and people with disabilities maintain a measure of independence.
Sheri Balsley told the council she has relied on the service since her husband died. "I don't have anyone else to help me out," she said. "If it's taken away, they're taking away my independence."
The city has not made a final decision. Officials held the hearing as they consider whether Tomah can continue supporting the shared-ride program. Speakers acknowledged the city's financial concerns, but most urged the council to examine reduced hours, another provider or a revised contract before discontinuing the service.
Abby Vans has operated in Tomah since Jan. 1, 2025, after receiving the contract through a competitive process. The system runs around the clock, every day of the year, and serves an area extending approximately 10 miles beyond the city.
A company representative told the council that Abby Vans provided more than 44,000 trips through the program in 2025. The service had recorded approximately 27,000 trips so far this year and was projected to again finish the year with more than 40,000.
The representative said 1,273 individual passengers have used the system this year. About 70% of the trips involved older adults, veterans, or people with disabilities.
State and federal money currently covers an estimated 56% of the program's operating costs, according to information presented at the hearing. The city supplies part of the remaining local share, while passenger fares also support the service.
Several speakers asked the council to determine the city's actual net savings before ending the program. They said the calculation should account for passenger fares and the state and federal money it would lose.
David Fessenbecker said he uses Tomah Transit five or six days a week, primarily to travel to and from his job at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "I would completely lose independence myself without the service," he said.
Fessenbecker, who also works as a transportation coordinator at the VA, said Tomah Transit helps fill transportation needs the VA could not handle on its own.
Other speakers described the program as an important link between Tomah's employers and workers who cannot drive. One parent said her adult son, who has a disability and is prohibited from driving, recently decided not to pursue a job at Fort McCoy after learning the transit program could be discontinued. Without a dependable ride, she said, he could not be certain he would make it to work.
The effect would extend beyond individual passengers.
Representatives of assisted-living facilities and a nursing home said their residents regularly use Tomah Transit for medical visits, shopping and trips with family members. One facility operator said many employees also rely on public transportation to get to work. The facilities do not have enough employees or vehicles to absorb all those trips, speakers said.
Health care workers raised another concern: What happens when a patient is ready to leave the hospital but has no way home?
Amanda Burkhalter, social services Coordinator at Tomah Health, asked the council to consider costs that may appear elsewhere if the transit program disappears.
"If we eliminate the least expensive form of transportation, those transportation needs don't just disappear," Burkhalter said.
"People may miss appointments, delay treatment or become more dependent on relatives, social-service agencies and emergency responders," she said.
Jessica Mitchell, an emergency room nurse at Tomah Health, said communities without public transportation sometimes have to use ambulances to take discharged patients home, even when there is no medical reason for ambulance transportation.
Such a trip can cost a patient approximately $2,000, she said. In other cases, a patient may remain in the emergency department for hours while employees search for a ride. Mitchell said Tomah Transit's wheelchair-accessible vehicles and 24-hour availability have made it possible to return patients safely to group homes, assisted-living facilities and private residences.
Abby Vans indicated it would discuss changes intended to reduce the city's costs. Those changes could include adjusting the number of service hours. However, a company representative noted that health care providers and people who work nights and weekends rely heavily on round-the-clock transportation.
Rick Murray, whose son has special needs, asked council members to consider how quickly anyone could find themselves unable to drive because of age, illness, or disability.
"That community needs public transportation," Murray said. "There's got to be something we can do in this community to keep it, make it work and help others down the road."
The council closed the public hearing without taking final action on the service's future. Discussion and action regarding the service is on the Monday September 21 Tomah Common Council Agenda. The meeting starts at 6:30pm.
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