Milwaukee County Transit System

Milwaukee County Transit System

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Parent	Milwaukee County Government
Founded	June 1, 1975
Headquarters	1942 North 17th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Service area	Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties
Service type	bus service
Routes	50
Hubs	Downtown Transit Center
Fleet	416 buses
Daily ridership	166,600 (Q2 2008 avg. weekday)
Fuel type	Diesel
Web site	ridemcts.com

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is the largest transit agency in Wisconsin, and is the primary transit provider for Milwaukee county. It ranks among the top 50 transit agencies in the United States. The county-run agency was formed in 1975 after it took over the assets of the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Company, a private operator.

Bus fleet

MCTS operates a fleet of 416 New Flyer low floor buses, 387 (384 active; 3 inactive) of them 40ft and 29 (12 active; 17 inactive) of them 30ft., including 5 Gillig Advantage low floor buses dedicated to the Ozaukee County Express (Route 143).

Fleet numbers

Currently in use

• 4300-4389: D40LF, delivered 2000; Currently, 39 of these buses are equipped with an Automatic Passenger Counting System from a company called InfoDev
• 4400-4468: D40LF, delivered 2001
• 4500-4519: D30LF, delivered 2002
• 4600-4639: D40LF, delivered 2002
• 4700-4750: D40LF, delivered 2003
• 4800-4829: D40LF, delivered 2004
• 4900-4914: D40LF, delivered late 2004 (officially, these buses are recognized as 2005 buses, as that is when the buses were paid for)
• 5000-5008: D40LF, delivered January 2006
• 5100-5189: D40LFR, delivered July 2010 and the first fleet to feature near-zero emissions
• 1000-1004: Gillig Advantage, delivered 2002

Inactive

• D40LF: 4306, 4310, 4361, 4384, 4604
• D30LF: 4500, 4501, 4502, 4506, 4509, 4512, 4516, 4517

Retired

• 3400–3439: Crown-Ikarus 286, 60-foot articulated buses; delivered 1984, retired in 1990s
• 4000-4145: D40LF, delivered 1996; retired 2011
• 4200-4208: D30LF, delivered 1997; retired 2010

Future Fleet

• In July 2009 MCTS announced that it has added 180 new 40ft buses from New Flyer. The first 90 buses arrived in May 2010 to replace the first generation D40LFs from the 1996 order. This was followed in November 2009 by an additional order for 90 new 40ft buses from New Flyer to arrive in 2011 (to replace the 2000 orders), thus continuing MCTS' relationship with the bus manufacturer.

Bus routes and fares

See List of MCTS Bus Routes

Most of the year, MCTS operates more than 50 bus routes covering about 90% of Milwaukee County and parts of Waukesha County and Ozaukee County. In addition, special routes are run for certain festivals, sports games, and other special events.

As of January 3, 2010, the adult, regular, non-discounted bus fare on MCTS is $2.25. 10 pack tickets or a weekly pass can be purchased for $17.50. A monthly pass is $64.00. Free transfers are given within 2 hours of paying fare.

Other transit services

MCTS is a partner in the Southeast Wisconsin Transit System, a joint-venture transit partnership that also includes Waukesha Metro Transit and Wisconsin Coach Lines in Waukesha, Washington County Commuter Express operated by Riteway Bus Service in Richfield, Belle Urban System (THE BUS) in Racine and Kenosha Area Transit (KAT) in Kenosha.

Future Projects

MCTS is currently involved in the Milwaukee Streetcar project, which is planning a streetcar line between Milwaukee's downtown and East Side neighborhoods. The streetcar project is being led by the city of Milwaukee after the failure of earlier guided bus and BRT proposals to gain political approval.

In 2010, a proposal to form a regional transit authority that would incorporate MCTS was made in the Wisconsin State Legislature. The move faced opposition from some lawmakers, and was vetoed by then Governor Doyle.

External links

• Milwaukee County Transit System
• Milwaukee Connector Project
• Southeast Wisconsin Transit System website
• Milwaukee's transit history