27-05-2025
Dunn County door-to-door bus service to start operations in June
MENOMONIE — A monthly bus service for rural residents in Dunn County is set to launch in June.
The service, named Rural Doorstop, is being created through a collaboration between Dunn County Transit and the Dunn County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC).
Dunn County Transit Commission Manager Austin Witt said this service is partially an extension of a door-to-door service they have with Menomonie residents.
'For out of town, there is a lot of Dunn County that the doorstop service was not able to cover,' he said. 'After feedback from several of our Dunn County board representatives, we are trying to figure out a way to get service to these rural zones.'
The service is designed to meet riders who call ahead a day early at their door. This helps with ridership, as the service does not have to utilize resources when no riders are using it.
Additionally, Witt said, 'The problem with the fixed route service is that a lot of times our riders need ADA accessible vehicles. They would still need to be driven and transported to a city center with an accessible vehicle. Doing a doorstop service like this, coming right to their door with our bus eliminates that need and creates better ridership.'
Rural Doorstop operates by rotating between four zones in Dunn County and connecting with residents once-a-month on a Tuesday depending on your zone. The boundaries for the zones are divided by Highway 25 and I-94.
Zone one, in the northeast corner of Dunn, will be picked up the first week of the month. The following week, Zone Two in the southeast corner would be picked up. Zone Three in the southwest quadrant would then receive transport the third week and Zone Four in the northwest quadrant would receive transport the fourth week.
'This takes care of a lot of that need,' Witt said. 'It is only one day a month in these areas, but it is a start. If ridership really flows on, we can definitely look at more dates.'
The bus fare is expected to be $15 per ride, but rides will be free as the service starts in June. Riders would be picked up at 10-11 a.m. and taking return trips from Menomonie between 1-2 p.m., giving residents a chance to shop, attend medical appointments or whatever they need.
'Finding specialized transportation — ADA accessible vehicles — is hard enough for our in-town residents,' Witt said. 'We have 40 riders a day that take that service alone. It is even harder for our rural residents, even getting into town just once I think will be a huge step forward.
'The idea for this is to be continuous. We started this idea as kind of a pilot trial program, but there is no reason that it can't continue on with it being a service where if people call ahead the day before, we map out the route and we go into that zone.'
Residents are asked to call a day ahead to schedule their ride. Seats can be reserved by contacting Dunn County Transit at 715-235-7433.
For more information on Rural Doorstop, visit
