A new, low-cost transportation option will be available to the city's residents this April, as the Madison Young Women's Christian Association announced its new transit initiative Monday.
The main goal of the YW Transit System is to provide automobile rides for underprivileged citizens during the day and at night.
YW Transit System aims to take the place of the Women's Transit Authority, which stopped providing services last year due to a lack of funding. The system is a collaborative project that will be funded by the YWCA, United Way, Dane County and the city of Madison.
"We believe that there is gap in transportation services for that very group that needs to get to doctor appointments, especially if they have little kids," said Eileen Mershart, CEO of YMCA Madison.
The YW Transit System would be more community-based than campus-based because the University of Wisconsin already has the SAFE nighttime services. This new system would provide services for women not affiliated with UW who need to get home from work but do not have the means to do it safely.
There is a consensus of approval and optimism for the program from both Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
"The county executive is strongly supportive of this new service … and very happy that they have been able to restore this service," said Toph Wells, chief executive to Falk.
George Twigg, spokesperson for Mayor Cieslewicz, said the city will support the new transit system, just as it supported the WTA. Twigg said he does not expect the financial problems experienced with the WTA to be repeated with this program.
"That program ended up folding more because of some internal management issues," Twigg said. "It doesn't have anything to do with the viability of the financial model in terms of public support."
The city of Madison will contribute $89,000 per year to the YWCA, along with an additional $43,000 for the program's start-up costs, including new vehicles. Although Mershart said they are still in the preliminary plans for the project, she is hoping for donations from car dealerships.
There still are no definite criteria to determine who will be eligible to use the program, but Wells said Falk hopes it will help women who are trying to find stable employment move up the economic ladder by giving them the means of transportation.
Other aspirations of the project are to increase safety in the city and county, particularly after the recent wave of sexual assaults and other violent crimes in the Madison area.
"Safety was the real origin of the program under Women's Transit, and it's certainly going to be a continued aspect of it under the new program being run by YWCA," Twigg said.
Cieslewicz is seeking re-election this April. His opponent, Ray Allen, said he sees the YM Transit as a step in the right direction for Madison transit.
"It's the type of transit option that we should be focusing on, as opposed to spending our time on trolleys," Allen said, adding that a system like this is long overdue.
The YWCA also hopes that this program will reduce the risk of sexual assault. The WTA first began as a taxi service for women to get home safely at night.
