Janesvillian> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_public...

why on earth are your responces so pompous

Mentor- right on! Generac should move here!

They should have thought of transportation issues when they chose to put their plant in Whitewater. This is what happens when you relocate in the middle of nowhere.

copo9561, there will be a bus fare. What on earth makes you ask otherwise? It will be about the same per-mile as the Beloit-Janesville Express. Nobody has suggested it would be a free bus.
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6824, you do seem to be aware that there are individuals who have neither a car nor a driver's license. They are, like you, citizens and deserve transportation options other than "get a car".
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Those wanting this to be a private bus should think twice. Instead of a bus that only serves Generac, this will serve anyone who has bus fare -- students, shoppers, commuters to and from other businesses. Although these travel needs have been identified on this corridor for some years now, no one community has wanted to shoulder the financial burden. With Generac kicking in a substantial sum, everyone benefits. There are dozens of such buses in the Chicago and Milwaukee metro regions that are company-subsidized, yet offer rides to the public. This arrangement is one of the most important options for expanding a public transportation network.
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I am unclear on why it has suddenly become necessary for certain public services to earn a profit. Do the streets earn a profit? Do the police? What about your neighborhood park -- have you audited its books lately? Maybe it's running in the red! The entire concept of a public service is one that provides a broad benefit and yet is unlikely to be served by the marketplace. Certainly it is a fallacy to believe that a bus is subsidized while car transportation is not. Some have calculated the annual taxpayer subsidy to car owners in the US at $5000 annually. Clearly this largesse makes it cheaper to own a car and easy to think that a car should be the only way people get from point A to point B.
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I am aware that there are people who drive themselves to Whitewater in the middle of the night to show up at work. I am aware that there are people who cannot drive themselves, so they get a ROUND TRIP ride to and from work. These are the people who can arrange transportation; those who can't are stuck here competing for scarce jobs. It's pretty ridiculous when an inexpensive alternative could be available. Not only does it get more people in Janesville employable, but it offers environmental and traffic benefits that will be enjoyed by the public.

would the riders still be required to pay for a bus ticket, if not this shouldent sit well with parents who have to pay for a buss ticket for kids to get to school in janesville.

How about the city of Janesville lure Generac to Janesville? This is where the city council should be looking. I bet if the town of Whitewater had any inkling Janesville was trying to get Generac here they would buy a bus by themselves.

The Dems should love this idea (there are so many people without a drivers license).

Dang they STILL only pay 8.47 an hour? Thats what they paid when I worked there in 2004! Pretty decent quarterly bonus though and alright raises. Who hasnt worked there before though?

I live in Janesville and work in Whitewater. Don't know that I would take the bus, as I work 2nd shift, and don't know if the bus would run then, or where it would stop in whitewater. I think the company putting up money to subsidize is a good thing, but otherwise, the route should pay for itself or go out of existence. BTW, trains DO use fossil fuels. Seems to me more info is needed before people make up their minds one way or the other

I wonder what would be cheaper. A bus, or a train? Wouldn't it be nice if from Janesville a person could take a train all the way up to the Dells, to Minneapolis, to Milwaukee, or to Chicago? Nah, let's just keep using buses on our already congested and deteriorating roads, sapping up what's left of our non-renewable fossil fuel that we largely import from volatile nations, simultaneously putting even more strain on our environment.

How dare Generac try and employ people from Janesville!!! What are they thinking!!

Swiss Colony used to do the same thing. The only problem is this like many other things should be done privately not with public money.

If Generac wants buses to bring in workers, tell them to go ahead and hire a company to do so. This is nothing more than corporate welfare. We should not be on the hook for it.

I recall in the mid-90s when the generator craze for Y2K was in full force that Temp agencies would rent buses and transport workers from Janesville to Jefferson (old portable products facility).

I think public transportation to Whitewater makes sense considering the number of students commuting from the Janesville area.

Would Milton be a part of the financial equation too or would this be 'driven' by Janesville and Generac?

sahmana wrote: "Also maybe you start at $8 something an hour but my husband makes descent money now."

Y'know, at first I thought that was just a typo but now I'm thinking it might be a Freudian slip.

Sure, if you stick around for a while, you can eventually earn something close to a living wage. But until you get to that point, you are treated like slave labor. There's a reason the Whitewater facility has been on OSHA's short list. Perhaps things have changed in the last 8 years or so but I know people who were there back then and were almost electrocuted due to shoddy equipment, forced to wipe up blood on the assembly line with nothing more than old rags, and witnessed several other health and safety violations. It is pretty bad when they have folks from the HR department on the shop floor timing people when they hit the bathroom. They also bribed employees to lie to inspectors about safety issues.

zilbel1038 It's not a bus and it isn't free but it may be cheaper if you do commute.
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/section_detai...

Some of you I think don’t see the full benefit here.
Less fuel used overall
A new way to use “public” transportation
Not all that use it will be Generac employees
The money they do make will be back in Janesville being spent, they will not shop in Whitewater if they take the bus
This can only be a win for everyone, if the employees that do use the bus save money on gas, they will be more likely to spend it on other items, and many will purchase those items in Janesville.

Why are we so opposed to a possible improvement? Why are we so glued to our automobiles?

I didn't know it was coming from In between their ears !

I think this is a good idea it will help UWW students who live in Janesville or the area get to UWW. For the people who say this is a free ride where are you getting this I am sure riders will pay to ride the bus to Whitewater. Sometimes I am surprised we can't hear the wind blowing between people's ears here in Janesville.

The people of Rock County and/or Janesville better not be on the hook for one penny of this. Public transportation is for the benefit of all, not one company.

We pay those elected to office in Madison to go to work up to the tune of $88.00 per day for expences

Generac will make this mandatory for their employees from Janesville to use the bus and then charge them through the nose for it. Will more than make up for the $41K they are offering now. It has been done this way before.

Not 1 cent of any money from Janesville should go to this. This should be a private thing. I dont pay taxes for shuttling people to other towns.

If we cut away at our grossly inflated prison / law enforcement budget, we could afford more buses, more trains, and more public services. We pay double what Minnesota does with the same effectiveness. Of course, one never hears the Repugs talking about shrinking this part of the government.

nugnrose

The wage you refer to is for entry level, unskilled labor. Skilled employees make considerably more and so do unskilled workers after they prove to be reliable.
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A bus runs between Janesville and Beloit and people use it to go to work and school.. If there is a demand for such service between Milton and Janesville and one of the employers is willing to pony up large cash; In my opinion the plan should recieve consideration.

I support this endeavor a 100%, not because it will help Generac, but because it will help the greater community. No profit needed here -- or at least not the narrowly understood monetary type.

Gee light rail would be a novelty, I would like to see it from janesville to evansville to madison, with stops in between. But NO we need more bike paths.

Can I get a free bus ride to Madison every day?

Ket the Koch_Bros pay for it.

Great idea. My hubby works there. It would be nice to save on gas. Also maybe you start at $8 something an hour but my husband makes descent money now..it's called raises.

This should only be done if the city can make a profit. Including the cost of the bus, drivers, fuel, and so on. Otherwise I think the city should pay for everyone else to get to work and back. I think when you do the math it will cost $500,000 to run this route each year. It would make more sense to use this money for street repair IN our city!

Maybe if Generac paid more than $8.47/hour their employees could afford the gas to drive to Whitewater. This is a naked attempt by Generac to get the public to pay to bus their underpaid employees, $41,000 is a drop in the bucket for them compared to paying more in wages.

Let walker pay for it