Important updates to transit services for IBVI employees
At IBVI, we care about our employees far more than just what they accomplish when they’re inside our facilities. We understand that they have daily challenges, and in order for us to care for the whole person, we need to meet them where they are.
One of those challenges is the daily task of getting to and from work.
Kevin Fortune and Jeff Young, who help lead our advocacy team, have been hard at work with the city and county to help provide better, more consistent resources for our employees, and we have exciting updates in the world of public transit.
Expanded Bus Service
Up until recently, the county bus only brought people to IBVI once in the morning and picked them up once at the end of the day. While it’s convenient to have a bus stop right outside the West Allis facility, it can be challenging if an employee has to leave early or stay late.
Early in 2024, the IBVI team got in touch with a planning manager at the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and voiced our desire for expanded bus service. They were open to the idea but originally said it might not happen until 2025.
We were pleased to find out that they expanded their service this June, and now buses run to IBVI every half hour, from 6am to 6pm. Our stop at the IBVI facility in West Allis is the “end of the line” for the bus driver, so we actually gave them keypad access to our facility so they can grab a snack or use the bathroom if they need to.
“With this new service, it makes me wonder, ‘how did we even do it before?’” said Jeff Young. “Not to mention, it’s a recruiting edge to have better access to our facilities. If someone misses a bus or has something unexpected come up, now they have more options to get to and from work.”
Improving Paratransit Offerings
For those who are unfamiliar, paratransit services are used by people who are elderly or who have more severe disabilities, and include on-demand transportation and helping people to and from the door. It is a part of the Americans with Disabilities Act that every county needs to have a paratransit service.
Kevin Fortune of the IBVI team has been in contact with the Transit Plus service, and has been working with them to improve the consistency and quality of the service.
“We’re on the cutting edge of giving feedback,” said Kevin.
Transit Plus is a pilot program for those who need specialized transportation and they are working with IBVI and our continued feedback to make it a better offering.
Transportation Tax Credit
We also have one more important update. Going into 2025, the new transportation credit for people who are blind or visually impaired will be implemented in Wisconsin, thanks to our team and so many others.
For those who wish to take advantage of this credit, the Department of Revenue had some details to share:
“If the stakeholders plan to claim the credit, they should retain receipts they intend to use in computing the credit because taxpayers are required to keep documentation to substantiate deductions and credits claimed on the tax return. Similar to most other credits and deductions, we do not plan to give specific guidance on what records are required to be maintained in order to substantiate the costs used to compute/claim the qualifying transportation services credit.”
In short, keep your receipts and be prepared to prove that you’ve paid for transportation to get to and from work.
Thanks to Kevin and Jeff and our entire team for continuing to advocate for our employees and for the visually impaired community.
