The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) will soon write the portion of their State Budget bill related to transportation. Please contact your legislators as soon as possible and ask them to encourage JFC to include in the budget a set of much-needed funding increases the Council is championing along with other organizations working on behalf of people with disabilities and older adults.
Many legislators are unaware that 31% of Wisconsin residents are non-drivers. They live in every part of the state and include aging adults, people with disabilities, low-income individuals, students, people unable to obtain a license for any number of reasons, and folks who simply choose not to drive.
There are several statutorily required programs to provide transportation for seniors and people with disabilities to promote their self-sufficiency and well-being. Many of these programs are underfunded and are therefore unable to meet the demand for accessible, affordable transportation. As a result, non-drivers across the state often struggle to get to work, make it to medical appointments, shop for food, and stay connected to family and friends.
The problem is particularly acute in rural areas. At the Council’s recent Advocacy Day event at the State Capitol, rural Door County resident Peter Sherrill, who is blind, told his legislators that he is completely reliant on his wife Carrie to get him everywhere he needs to go. “Without her, I would not be able to live where I live,” Peter says. “It’s a transportation desert.”
The Council, along with our partner organizations, are advocating for these funding increases:
- County Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (85.21) – 10% increase ($1.6M per year).
- Tribal Elderly Transportation Assistance Program (85.215) – 10% increase ($44K per year).
- Specialized Transportation Program, includes purchase of Human Service Vehicles, operating budgets, Mobility Managers, coordination and non-vehicle capital (85.22) – 20% increase ($221K per year).
- Urban Mass Transit Operating Assistance (85.20) – 4% increase. ($1.2M in 2025-26 and $6M in 2026-27)
- Paratransit Aids (85.205) – 20% increase ($688K in 2025-26 and $825K in 2026-27).
- Creation of a Transit Capital program – $20,000,000 GPR over the biennium to fund transit-related capital projects.
You can find the full motion the Council is supporting on our website at https://wcblind.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-Transportation.pdf.
Please tell your legislators that these funding increases would go a long way toward enhancing quality of life for non-drivers across Wisconsin. And when non-drivers do better, the entire community benefits. You can find out who represents you in the State Legislature and how to contact them by entering your address on the Legislature website at https://legis.wisconsin.gov or call the legislative hotline at 608-266-9960 or 800-362-9472.
