Past Annual Meetings

The Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance has annual meetings to listen to experts, decide policy, address issues and elect officers for the next year. They are OPEN TO ALL although only members vote on business items (maybe you’ll decide to join after hearing a speaker). If you have questions, please email secretary/treasurer Susan De Vos at smdevos@witransitriders.org.

  • The 2025 Annual Meeting was held virtually in two parts. On Thursday March 6 (recorded at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnUzTu4df9E
    1. Patty Kiewiz, Transit Director of Green Bay Metro Transit, discussed On Demand Transit Expansion – The Green Bay Experience. She discussed how Green Bay Metro has increased its efficiency by both replacing several infrequent low-demand fixed routes with on-demand transit and supplementing more frequent fixed route service with on-demand transit. This has enabled GBM to extend service hours during the week. (Sunday service stays a dream, alas).
    2. Gary Goyke, Public Affairs Consultant, updated us on Wisconsin’s new political landscape since the Fall elections. There is a large number of new faces in a state legislature still controlled by last year’s leadership. WisDOT has a new head. Among many issues, such as how smaller Tier C transit agencies are funded or the need for more intercity and rural public transportation, was mention of a possible resurgence in bi-partisan support for regional or multi-jurisdictional transportation agencies.
  • The 2024 Annual Meeting was held virtually on Saturday March 9 10:00 – 11:45 a.m. The first 50 minutes involved a presentation and discussion of Milwaukee’s special FlexRide program Addressing Immediate Needs, Focused on Long Term Solutions by David Steele, Executive Director of MobiliSE.
  • The 2023 Annual Meeting was held virtually on Saturday, March 11: Tools and Tactics. There were two presentations:
    1. Ethan Severson, Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Strategic Initiatives Officer [ethanp.severson@dot.wi.gov  (608) 266-1457] started the meeting off by discussing his department’s ArcGIS Non-Driver Online Application. Thirty one percent of Wisconsin’s population does not drive. Here is a PDF copy of his presentation. A video recording of the presentation can be seen here.
    2. Kristine Bray and Joshua Hatton of No Bus Cuts Denton followed with a presentation about the Coalition Against Predatory Microtransit. A video recording of that presentation can been seen here.
  • The 2022 Annual Meeting was held virtually on Saturday, May 21: Forward – Wisconsin Transit in 2022 and Beyond with special guest, Beth Osborne of Transportation for America and a panel: State Senator Jeff Smith; Peter Fletcher, Executive of the La Crosse Area Planning Committee; Trevor Jung, Transit Manager, City of Racine; and David Salmon, Associate Planner, City of Janesville. This a video recording of the first part. This is a recording of the entire presentation.
  • The 2021 Annual Meeting was held virtually on Sat. April 17, 2021: Public Transit in Rural and Urban Wisconsin with opening remarks by Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (video) followed by a video discussion with Sen. Brad Pfaff (Dis. 32).
  • The 2020 Annual Meeting was cancelled due to the pandemic.
  • The 2019 Annual Meeting was held Thursday March 28 in Room 301 of the Madison Central Public Library, 201 W Mifflin St. Our guest speaker was Rep. Debra Kolste (Janesville), Ranking Member of the Wisconsin Assembly’s Transportation Committee, she spoke on aging and the political future of public transit in Wisconsin.
  • The 2018 Annual Meeting was held April 30 in the first floor Conference Room of the Madison Central Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin St. Jackie Eastwood, Transportation Planner for the La Crosse Area Planning Committee (LAPC), spoke about how the La Crosse area is moving forward with regionally connected public transportation using public/private partnerships.
  • The 2017 Annual Meeting was held March 30 in the first floor Conference Room of the Madison Central Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin St. Ian Ritz, Chief of the Transit Section of the Bureau of Transit, Local Roads, Railroads and Harbors, Wisconsin Department of Transportation spoke on the distinct role of shared-ride taxi service as a form of transit in Wisconsin.
  • The 2016 Annual Meeting was held April 19 in the first floor Conference Room of the Madison Central Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin St. Nino Amato, President of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups spoke on transportation options for Wisconsin’s aging population.
  • The 2015 Annual Meeting was held April 22 in the first floor Conference Room of the Madison Central Public Library 201 W Mifflin St. Steve Hiniker, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin spoke on the future of transit in Wisconsin.
  • The 2014 Annual Meeting was held May 22 in Rm. 302 of the Madison Central Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin St. George Wiesner, General Manager of Madison’s Best Western Inn on the Park spoke on the idea of having shuttle service between downtown Madison and the Dane County Airport. Gary Goyke, Legislative Liaison to the Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transit Association gave an update on transit’s position in the legislative process.

page last updated March 12, 2025