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.
 | |
 A Valley Transit bus | |
| Parent | City of Appleton[1] |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | 1930 |
| Headquarters | 801 S. Whitman Ave,[2] Appleton, Wisconsin |
| Locale | Appleton/Fox Cities |
| Service type | Bus & paratransit |
| Routes | 20[1] |
| Stations | 3
|
| Depots | 1 |
| Fleet | 33[3] |
| Daily ridership | 3,326 (2020)[3] |
| Annual ridership | 737,910 (2022)[1] |
| Website | myvalleytransit |
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 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.
Routes
Valley Transit's operations comprise of 18 fixed bus routes, with all routes except #10 being round trip, meaning they begin and 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 6:15 AM and 9:45 PM on Weekdays, and 8:15 AM to 9:45 PM on Saturdays, with no service on Sundays.[5]
| Number | Name | Notes | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midway | — | |
| 2 | Prospect | ||
| 3 | Mason | ||
| 4 | Richmond | ||
| 5 | North Oneida | ||
| 6 | Meade | See route 16 for weekday daytime service | |
| 8 | Telulah | See route 19 for weekday evening and Saturday service | |
| 9 | The Link | Call for details | |
| 10 | Neenah/Oshkosh | Operated by GO Transit | |
| 11 | East College/Buchanan | See route 19 for weekday evening and Saturday service | |
| 12 | Fox Valley Tech | — | |
| 15 | West College | — | |
| 16 | Northeast | See route 6 for weekday evening and Saturday service | |
| 19 | Southeast | See routes 8 and 11 for weekday daytime service | |
| 20 | Heart of the Valley | — | |
| 30[6] | 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
As of the last transport development plan released in 2020, Valley Transit operated a total fleet of 33 buses: [3]
| Year | Bus type | Amount | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Orion V | 2 | 44 |
| 2003 | Orion VII | 5 | 31 |
| 2004 | 15 | 31 | |
| 2005 | 4 | 39 | |
| 2011 | ARBOC Mobility | 2 | 30 |
| 2017 | 1 | 30 | |
| 2017 | New Flyer Xcelsior | 3 | 58/67[3] |
| 2018 | 1 | 67 |
Announced in 2018, the older buses were planned be phased out as new buses are purchased,[7] and as of late 2023, the Valley Transit fleet included at least one New Flyer Xcelsior Clean Diesel bus for each route.
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.
Ridership
| Ridership | Change over previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013[8] | 1,274,139 | n/a |
| 2014[9] | 1,271,282 |  0.22% |
| 2015[10] | 1,249,880 | 1.68% |
| 2016[11] | 1,191,766 | 4.65% |
| 2017[12] | 1,146,834 | 3.77% |
| 2018[13] | 1,159,526 |  1.11% |
| 2019[14] | 1,112,264 | 4.08% |
| 2020[15] | 640,194 | 42.44% |
| 2021[16] | 658,366 | 2.84% |
| 2022[1] | 737,910 | 12.08% |
See also
- GO Transit (Wisconsin) Bus service serving Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- Green Bay Metro Bus service serving the Green Bay, Wisconsin Area
- Appleton Transit Center
- List of bus transit systems in the United States
- List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin
References
- "Fact-Sheet 2022" (PDF).
- "Welcome to Valley Transit".
- "City of Appleton (Valley Transit) Transit Development Plan" (PDF). 2020-02-25.
- "Transportation Information - Appleton Area School District". www.aasd.k12.wi.us. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
- "Route Maps and Schedules". myvalleytransit.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "Valley Transit to implement service changes". The Post-Crescent. 1994-12-25. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- "Appleton Valley Transit will replace 15 buses". WLUK. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- "2013 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2014 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2015 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2016 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2017 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2018 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2019 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2020 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
- "2021 Annual Agency Profile" (PDF).
