New research by graduate students in the La Follette School of Public Affairs recommends that the adjoining Wisconsin cities of Hudson, New Richmond, and River Falls should regionalize their shared-ride taxi (SRT) systems to reduce administrative costs, further connect the communities, and increase economic access for residents.
These recommendations resulted from an in-depth analysis at the request of the city of River Falls. La Follette students Katie Gienapp, Johanna Schmidt, Quinn Wakley, and Yiding Zhang found that consolidation of the three systems using fares set to the median of the three cities’ current pricing would increase access to jobs, health care, and grocery stores for residents while being politically feasible and more administratively efficient than the current system.
The SRT systems that are currently in place in Hudson, New Richmond, and River Falls allow residents to travel within the boundaries of their own city, as well as a 5-mile radius around it. This means that many areas remain inaccessible to residents without the use of a car, as service boundaries leave some areas completely cut off.
The report concluded that the cities should also consider engaging in community planning processes and aim to factor in the input of the public in their decisions and implementation of the new model. The students also recommend that the cities look to expand the regionalized system to include smaller towns and villages in the area that may be interested and have the financial capability to join, further expanding the access of SRT services.
