Valley Transit (Wisconsin)
Valley Transit is a city bus and paratransit commission operated by the city government of Appleton, Wisconsin. It has operated as a bus system since 1930, and has been fully operated by the city since 1978.
 | |
| Slogan | Connecting the Fox Cities |
|---|---|
| Parent | City of Appleton[1] |
| Commenced operation | 1930 |
| Headquarters | 801 S. Whitman Ave,[2] Appleton |
| Locale | Appleton/Fox Cities, Wisconsin |
| Service type | Bus & Paratransit |
| Routes | 20[1] |
| Stations | 3
|
| Depots | 1 |
| Fleet | 30[3] |
| Daily ridership | ~3,488 |
| Annual ridership | 1,273,311[1] |
| Website | appleton.org/valley-transit |
The system operates across the Fox Cities and serves the cities of Appleton, Kaukauna, Menasha, and Neenah, as well as the towns of Buchanan and Grand Chute; and the villages of Fox Crossing, Darboy, Kimberly, and Little Chute. It connects with Oshkosh's GO Transit system via Route 10. Through an agreement with the Appleton Area School District. Valley Transit allows all students enrolled in an AASD middle/high school to ride the bus unlimited for free during the school year.[4]
History
Public transportation in the area originated with streetcar systems, which operated from 1886 to 1930 when they were completely replaced by buses operated by a company called Fox River Bus Lines. Toward the end of the 1960s, the city began to subsidize the company, until it bought and took over operations on New Year's Day 1978.
Wifi
In early February 2011, Valley Transit announced a partnership with Open Range to provide free wifi on the buses to advertise being new in the area. This service ended in November 2011 after only 8 months.
Routes
Valley Transit’s operations comprise 18 fixed bus routes all routes except #10 are roundtrip meaning they begin/end at the same place. In addition, they operate multiple seasonal (Tripper) routes which typically only run a limited number of times daily to connect most of the AASD middle/high schools to the Appleton Transit Center. Valley Transit also operates a paratransit service (contracted out to a local bus company), which shuttles elderly passengers from their homes to regular-route bus stops and functions much as a taxi service for disabled passengers. The company operates 25 buses between 5:45 AM and 10:30 PM on Weekdays, and 7:45 AM to 10:30 PM on Saturdays, with no service on Sundays.
| Number | Name | Notes | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midway | — | 🌍 |
| 2 | Prospect | 🌍 | |
| 3 | Mason | 🌍 | |
| 4 | Richmond | 🌍 | |
| 5 | North Oneida | 🌍 | |
| 6 | Meade | Evenings and Saturdays only | 🌍 |
| 8 | Tululah | Replaced by #19 on evenings and Saturday | 🌍 |
| 9 | The Link | — | 🌍 |
| 10 | Neenah/Oshkosh | Operated by GO Transit | 🌍 |
| 11 | East College/Buchanan | Replaced by #19 on evenings and Saturday | 🌍 |
| 12 | Fox Valley Tech | — | 🌍 |
| 15 | West College | Replaced by #6 on evenings and Saturday | 🌍 |
| 16 | Northeast | Evenings and Saturdays only | 🌍 |
| 19 | Southeast | Evenings and Saturday only | 🌍 |
| 20 | Heart of the Valley | — | 🌍 |
| 30 | Neenah/Menasha | 🌍 | |
| 31 | East Neenah | 🌍 | |
| 32 | West Neenah | 🌍 | |
| 41 | West Fox Valley | 🌍 |
Facilities
Terminals
- Appleton Transit Center - 100 E Washington St, Appleton, WI 54911 (Contains an indoor climate controlled waiting area with public washrooms. All routes except 10, 31, and 32 start/end here)
- North Transfer Point - Located behind the Northland Ave. Piggly Wiggly (Routes 5, 6, and 16 offer service)
- Neenah Transit Center - 141-199 West Doty Avenue (small booth at the corner of South Church Street and West Doty Avenue. Routes 10, 31, and 32 start/end here.)
Storage
- Valley Transit Operations Facility - 801 S Whitman Ave, Appleton, WI 54914 is a bus garage and maintenance facility. Valley Transit holds their offices/operations center here.
Fleet
Valley transit operates a fleet of 30 buses:[3][5]
| Year | Bus type | Fleet Numbers | Amount | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Orion V | 0311 | 1 | 35 |
| 1994 | 0351-0354 | 4 | 44 | |
| 2004 | Orion VII | 0401-0416 | 16 | 31 |
| 2005 | 0451-0454 | 4 | 39 | |
| 2010 | ARBOC Mobility | 0501-0502 | 2 | 20 |
| 2017 | New Flyer Xcelsior | 1701-1703 | 3 | Unknown |
The Connector
A shared-ride taxi service operates during the hours of 4 AM until midnight Monday through Saturday that connects public transit users with jobs. This service requires advance reservations but allows users in remote or newly developed areas of the Fox Cities get to and from work.
See also
- GO Transit (Wisconsin) Bus service serving Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- Green Bay Metro Bus service serving the Green Bay, Wisconsin Area
References
- Valley Transit 2012 Fact Sheet
- Welcome to Valley Transit
- "Valley Transit Strategic Plan". Appleton.org. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
- "Transportation Information - Appleton Area School District". www.aasd.k12.wi.us. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- News, FOX 11. "Valley Transit purchases wheelchair buses". WLUK. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
