Shoreline Metro, our city bus service, is publically operated by the City of Sheboygan. In addition to serving the City of Sheboygan they also provide fixed route service to the City of Sheboygan Falls and the Village of Kohler. They are currently operating 11 routes, Monday through Saturday and a student tripper service during the school year.
In 2015 there were 537,765 passenger trips for an average 13 trips per hour. In 2013 and 2014 we saw consecutive years of ridership growth that averaged an increase of 9.7%. The ridership in 2015 was stable despite a strong drop in gas prices.
Last year the Director of Transit and Parking redesigned the route to Sheboygan Falls and Kohler to make it more efficient. A re-branded Harbor Center Express bus wrapped to promote the Sheboygan Squared Business District was also launched.
In 2016 Shoreline Metro is looking at route consolidation to run their operations more efficiently. What was commonly called the Industrial Park Route would be phased out and picked up with route extensions added to the four current routes serving the south side of the City of Sheboygan.
The Sheboygan Transit Commission will conduct a hearing on Tuesday, May 24th at 5:00 pm at the Sheboygan City Hall on the announced route enhancements and changes that plan to be effective on July 5, 2016. To assist transit riders’ adjustment to the expected route changes, training sessions will be held at the Mead Library in June. The sessions are scheduled on Wednesday 6-1 at 3:00 pm, 6-16 at 4:00 pm, and 6-27 & 29 at 3:00 pm. The training session will include an overview of the route changes and the opportunity to meet one – on – one with staff to develop individual route plans.
The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC), Shoreline Metro, and the Bay Lakes Regional Planning Commission have partnered to create and distribute two surveys to gauge the need for extended transit services. This survey was sparked by the growing need for employees at area businesses. The survey hopes to uncover the transportation needs of area companies and prospective employees.
Sheboygan County’s most recent economic annual GDP growth rate of 3.2% eclipsed both the state and national performance. Since 2011, the County has added 1,000 jobs every year, and with nearly 3,000 jobs still unfilled it is likely this will continue to grow.
Recent SCEDC discussions with county-wide employers point toward the possible need for Shoreline Metro to extend fixed-route bus services from 9:00 PM to midnight to accommodate 2nd and 3rd shift change. In addition to surveying the need to expand route timing, the surveys also seek to identify any need to get workers to companies outside the current route system. Many of the area’s largest employers and available jobs lie in rural areas outside of Shoreline Metro’s present service territory.
Some employers often require new employees to start on 2nd and 3rd shift, yet those shifts are not supported by public transit. The survey results will be used to determine the need and practicality of enhancing transit services to offer greater economic opportunity to residents of the Sheboygan area. It is hoped that the survey will identify and quantify the transportation gap that exists for Sheboygan County employers. After the evaluation of the data proposals for longer transit hours and funding will be proposed.
Businesses are encouraged to fill out the survey at: https://sheboygancountyedc.formstack.com/forms/employertransit
Both Commuters and job seekers are invited to fill out the following survey: https://sheboygancountyedc.formstack.com/forms/commutersurvey