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The Milwaukee County Transit System is in trouble 

The state’s largest public transit system – YOUR system – is in trouble. Despite some recent positive developments, MCTS is still facing major budget cuts. As a result, our access to the jobs, homes, and communities we love is threatened. 

The problem? MCTS has no dedicated source of funding. While the State of Wisconsin has traditionally been the largest source of our funding, those monies could decrease. Additionally, the federal relief we’ve relied upon for several years is about to run out, while our local sales tax revenue has been flat or even down. MCTS’ current funding structure is a problem that will only get worse unless we demand a change. 

We know that a city is only as great as its transit – and if we want to remain a great city, we need to come together and act now.

A longer-term fix is needed 

While the State of Wisconsin remained MCTS’ biggest budget source in the last biennial budget, those funds have become increasingly tenuous. Not only is there no mandated level of transit expenditure in the state budget, but transit was recently moved out of the state’s Transportation fund and into its General Fund Purpose Fund – where it competes for dollars with school aids, shared revenue, and Medicaid. The next largest funding source is the federal government, which provides funding for bus operations and special projects such as the CONNECT 1 Bus Rapid Transit line. Unfortunately, federal money is expected to diminish as pandemic relief funds come to an end. The final two pieces of the MCTS budget pie are passenger fares and local (county) taxes, which are both currently 17%. Of these, the county’s share is the most widely variable, since it is based on the difference between decreasing estimated revenues and increasing estimated costs – a gap the county must then bridge.

The Regional Transit Authority concept 

While the future is worrisome, there is a widely recognized path forward—the establishment of a regional transit authority (RTA).  As the name suggests, RTAs are organizations that oversee public transportation across a region. Southeastern Milwaukee is one of the few metros in the U.S. that doesn’t have an RTA. While current state legislation effectively stops the formation of RTAs in Wisconsin, recent changes in state law—as well as the success of RTAs in other regions—has given new life to the RTA concept here. 

  

What are the benefits of RTAs?

Money

EFFICIENCY
An RTA makes it easier for planning and coordination between local transit systems, which helps avoid duplicated costs.

PUBLIC/PRIVATE INVOLVEMENT
An RTA would involve both elected officials and business leaders – potentially leading to less partisanship and more effective policy-making.

LEGISLATIVE MUSCLE
An RTA would increase transit’s political leverage across the region, allowing for more state and federal support and potentially paving the way for mandated levels of state funding. 

DEDICATED BUDGET MANDATE
MCTS’ first legislative priorities are establishing state budget mandates for transit, and getting transit moved back into the state’s Transportation Fund (and out of the General Purpose Fund.) 

BOTTOM LINE – Having multiple transit agencies work together to upgrade technology and improve customer service across the entire region will deliver a better rider experience.

Why is dedicated funding so important?

THE BUDGET GAP IS WIDENING:

MCTS’ main funding sources—including state, federal and fare revenue—have not kept pace with the system’s rising costs.

FACILITY MAINTENANCE COSTS GOING UP:​

$55 million is the latest projection to keep our facilities up to par (per VFA)

FLEET MAINTENANCE:

It will take $110 million to keep the MCTS bus fleet at a size that meets service needs.

MCTS Continues to Face Unprecedented Funding Gap

How can I help get funding for the bus? Check out the 5 things you can do TODAY to help support MCTS.

  1. Tell your elected officials why the bus is so important! See the map below to find your district’s county supervisor, state senator and state assembly representative. 
  2. Tell your employer about the tax benefit of MCTS’s Commuter Value Pass program (CVP)
  3. Join a transit advocacy group such as MobiliSE and check for events and make your voice heard at public meetings, legislative hearings and in the media. Click here for more information. 
  4. Download the #SaveTheBus badge and infographics and share on your social media channels, along with the #SaveTheBus 
  5. RIDE THE BUS!! 

Benefits of public transportationBenefits of public transportation

Why cutting routes isn’t the solution

While it may be tempting to lower costs by cutting routes or reducing service, we’ve repeatedly seen the negative impact that approach can have. A less-than-robust public transit service is basically no service at all. Workers must feel confident that they can arrive at their jobs on time, every day. When a public transit system can’t cover its costs, buses become old, unreliable, and frequently delayed. The overall infrastructure ages and degrades. People grow frustrated as their commutes become longer and less predictable, and the once-efficient system becomes a shadow of its former self. For densely populated cities which rely on vibrant public transit, this systemic decay triggers an economic ripple effect, ultimately leading to increased unemployment and poverty.

Fortunately, this vision doesn’t have to be Milwaukee’s future. With your help, we can let elected officials at all levels know that great cities need great transit – and that requires dedicated funding. Please help us ensure that Milwaukee remains a great city and Milwaukee County has a robust transit system!

Projects that could exist with additional funding

CONNECT 2: Investing in Access and Racial Equity

More riders depend on transit along the 27th Street corridor for access to jobs, healthcare and education than most other corridors in the Milwaukee area. To meet the community’s modern mobility needs, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) began the environmental review and design process to deploy bus rapid transit (BRT) service along the 27th Street corridor, the second route planned for Milwaukee County’s newest BRT system, CONNECT. The use of BRT in this corridor was recommended by the transit enhancement feasibility study completed in 2022. However, due to fiscal challenges, CONNECT 2 is paused indefinitely.

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A less-than-robust public transit service is basically no service at all.

Find your District and Supervisor

 

 

Public transit is vital infrastructure that benefits everybody, and a cut in MCTS funding would be a huge blow to the city of Milwaukee and to bus riders like me.

Jared

With the route cuts and restructuring that has already occurred and the planned changes, I have had to reconcile myself to the fact that, if there is no bus, I am stranded at home. There are a lot of people like me. Please help.

Mary

I'm not sure how I would be able to get to my doctor appointments, school, or work if the routes were cut. I can't drive, and I can't afford to pay for something like an Uber or Lyft every time. This would be devastating for people like me.

Sky

I have been accepted into UWM and as a college student I don’t plan on owning a car. Significant cuts of services would definitely impact my day-to-day life as a college student who has friends in other parts of town.

Devin

I am a mobility impaired senior. I'm on a fixed income & must rely on MCTS to get to most places because I don't have family or friends with cars to assist me. I also have many friends and family who rely on MCTS to get where they need to go. Cutting back &/or eliminating routes will greatly jeopardize our abilities to get to work, appointments & shopping.

Ann

 

Share Your Story

Letters of Support

Transit cuts will worsen local labor shortages.
In 2025, MCTS bus service faces major cuts.
Cuts to transit negatively impact those who can least afford it.
2,366 businesses could lose access to bus service.

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*With a fleet of over 320 clean-diesel buses and a dedicated team of 1,000 drivers, mechanics and administrative staff, MCTS provides nearly 16 million rides each year and generates a massive economic impact for the region.

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