Milwaukee County Transit System

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 for total passenger trips.[2] Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc. is a quasi-governmental agency responsible for the management and operation of the Milwaukee County Transit System.[3] The county-run agency was formed in 1975 (under the direction of the "newly" created Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc.) after taking over the assets of the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Company, a private operator. Its bus fleet consists of about 332 buses. There used to be older buses ( New Flyer D40LFs ) in the bus fleet until July 31, 2019 when the Gillig Advantage BRT 40 ft coaches were delivered to replace them.

Milwaukee County Transit System

A pair of New Flyers, a second generation D40LFR (5101) and a 41-foot Xcelsior (5804), operating on Blue Line and Freeway Flyer route 40 in Downtown Milwaukee respectively.
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	45
Hubs	Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee Intermodal Station, Henry Maier Festival Park (Seasonal)
Stations	Kinnicknnic Ave Garage, Fond du Lac Ave Garage
Fleet	About 400 buses
Daily ridership	151,000 (2011 avg. weekday)[1]
Fuel type	Diesel
Operator	Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc.
Website	Milwaukee County Transit System

Accolades

MCTS is known for its bus drivers doing good deeds around the city of Milwaukee, such as rescuing lost children, helping people with disabilities cross busy streets, and much more. Videos of such acts have gone viral, placing MCTS in the national spotlight. This recognition has resulted in MCTS receiving honors from organizations such as PETA[4] to an Innovators Award from the American Public Transportation Association in July 2019.[5]

Response to COVID-19

Because of the COVID-19, to maintain social distancing, each bus is allowed to carry only 15 passengers. Once the bus has 15 passengers, the bus will drive pass stops and those waiting must wait for the next bus. Face masks are now required on all MCTS Buses.[6] Passengers are also encouraged to limit interaction with the bus driver, and to use contactless fare forms, such as the M•CARD or Ride MCTS app. Freeway Flyers (routes 40, 43, 44, 46, 48, 49 & 79) and routes 137, 143, RR1, RR2 and RR3 are temporarily suspended until further notice. The MCTS Administration Building is also closed to visitors. [7]

Bus Fleet

MCTS bus 4413, a 2001 New Flyer D40LF

MCTS operates a fleet of about 180 New Flyer D40LFRs, 163 Xcelsior XD40s, and 51 Gillig Low Floor BRTs. Almost all buses are 40 feet (12 m) long, with the exception of the 5800 series XD40s being 41 feet long. 28 of the new Gillig Low Floor Advantage BRT 40 ft coaches were delivered in 2019 and were all in active revenue service as of July 11, 2019,[8] marking Gillig's first return to the MCTS fleet in years. Between July 10, 2019 - July 23, 2019, all New Flyer D40LFs have been officially taken out of service, ending a 23-year run of original low floor buses on the streets of Milwaukee. Between June and July 2020, the second set of Gillig BRTs were delivered, accounting for 23 more buses. The 4700 series and 4800 series 2003 - 2004 D40LFs were taken out of service by July 11, 2019, while the 4900 - 5000 series 2005-2006 D40LFs were retired by July 23, 2019. A 6100-6110 series is planned for the new East-West BRT Bus Rapid Transit project, which will open in Fall 2022.

Website

For more information about the Milwaukee County Transit System, go to https://www.ridemcts.com.

Active Bus Vehicles

Below are all the bus vehicles that are still active. Some are out of service due to accidents and fires. The discontinued series of buses are the New Flyer D40LFs are the 4000 series - 5000 series made from 1996 - January 2006. They were all retired by July 23, 2019.

Vehicles	Builder	Model	Delivered	Division	Notes
5100-5189	New Flyer	D40LFR	August 2010	Fond du Lac (5100-5103, 5105-5107, 5109-5114, 5149, 5173) Kinnickinnic (5116, 5117, 5119, 5121-5143, 5145, 5146, 5148, 5150-5172, 5174-5181, 5183-5189)	5100-5103, 5105-5107, 5109-5114, 5116, 5117, 5119, 5121-5143, 5145, 5146, 5148-5181, 5183-5189 active First buses to feature near-zero emissions 5104, 5108, 5115, 5118, 5120, 5144, 5147, 5182 inactive 5126 wrapped into MCTS 150 Years of Public Transportation livery. 5170 wrapped into Lakefront Brewery. 5171 was involved in a bit of an SUV accident on October 23, 2020, but was still good enough to stay in service. 5174 was wrapped in a controversial anti-ICE mural for about a month.[9]
5200-5234	New Flyer	D40LFR	May 2011	Fond du Lac	5200, 5201, 5203, 5204, 5206-5218, 5220-5234 active 5219 retired early due to an accident at Marquette University on May 15, 2018.[10][11][12] 5202, 5205 inactive
5300-5354	New Flyer	D40LFR	March 2012	Fond du Lac	5300, 5302-5333, 5335-5354 active 5301 retired as of January 2021. 5316 had an SUV crash on Kinnickinnic & Maple on December 26, 2018, and was rear-ended by a van in July 2020, but is still in service. 5334 retired early due to an engine fire at 76th and Layton on July 4, 2019.[13][14][15][16]
5400-5454	New Flyer	XD40	July 2013	Kinnickinnic (5400-5447) Fond du Lac (5448-5454)	All active 5401, 5404, 5406, 5408, 5417 and 5439 are wrapped with an Amazon advertisement. Clean air buses; first fleet in MCTS' history to feature rear route number signs on the back of the bus.
5500-5534	New Flyer	XD40	January 2014	Fond du Lac	All active Clean air buses
5600-5627	New Flyer	XD40	October 2015	Kinnickinnic (5600, 5602-5614, 5616, 5617) Fond du Lac (5615, 5618-5627)	5600, 5602-5627 active Clean air buses with new interior features, such as an automatically opening electronic smart door at the back of the bus.[17] 5601 and 5603 used for demonstrations for MCTS Fleet Maintenance Tour. 5601 was the first new bus in service on Route 19 on Friday, October 2, 2015.[18] 5601 had an engine fire on March 1, 2020 at 27th and Fond du Lac. Unknown if bus will return to service.
5700-5729	New Flyer	XD40	August 2016	Fond du Lac (5700-5719) Kinnickinnic (5720-5722, 5724-5729)	5700-5722, 5724-5729 active 5713 features a white front LED destination sign. 5723 was involved in an accident in October 2019. As of November 2020, it is still in the body shop. May return to service next year.[19] 5729 features the Quantum Securement System, which automatically secures wheelchairs and scooters.[20]
5800-5814	New Flyer	XD40	September 2017	Kinnickinnic	All active Buses are 41 feet long. 5801 on display on August 16, 2017 at the Newaukee Festival Market in Downtown Milwaukee. 5807 & 5813 used for demonstrations for MCTS Fleet Maintenance Tour.
5900-5927	Gillig	Advantage BRT	June 2019	Fond du Lac	5900-5915, 5917-5927 active. 5916 was involved in a slippery crash during a snowstorm on 68th Street and State Street in Wauwatosa on February 5, 2021. Temporarily out of service.[21]
6000-6022	Gillig	Advantage BRT	May-June 2020	Kinnickinnic	All active Have been seen on all routes operating out of Kinnickinnic. The second set of a 50-bus order from Gillig.
6100-6110?	TBD	TBD	TBD (Possibly October/Fall 2022)		First battery/electric fleet

Currently Active Bus Routes

This is a comprehensive list of MCTS bus routes that are currently active.[22]

There will be many changes to these routes, along with new routes in 2021 from the MCTS NEXT project (see below). Current Routes 64 and 67 are the only two routes slated for total elimination and retirement of route number, though most of their service areas will be picked up by new routes.

Freeway Flyer routes 40, 43, 44, 46, 48, 49, 79, 137 and 143 will be suspended until further notice due to the ongoing OVID-19 Pandemic. Routes 40U, 44U and 49U are back in service.

Currently discontinued bus routes to Waukesha County from a few years ago include: Route 6 - New Berlin Industrial Park Express (2014-2019), Route 61 - Appleton - Keefe (2015-2018, re-designated as Route 57 until 8/24/19) & Route 279 - Menomonee Falls Industrial Park Express (2014-2016). These routes made up the JobLines program, which stemmed from a lawsuit between the State of Wisconsin, the US Department of Transportation, the Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) and the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW). The product of the lawsuit was a temporary settlement that would provide bus transportation to underrepresented communities in Milwaukee's inner-city. Funding eventually ran out for routes 6 and 279, and were subsequently eliminated. In response to funding running out for Route 61, Route 57 was reconfigured in 2019 to take over service on Keefe, Appleton and Silver Spring, and extended into Waukesha County until August 24, 2019. After this date, Route 57 no longer traveled into Waukesha County, with the Milwaukee County portion of the route remaining the same.[23]

In the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, while there was a 10-passenger bus limit, the PurpleLine was the most used route in the entire MCTS network. As a result, MCTS increased the frequency on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. During the daytime, buses come every 8-12 minutes on weekdays (peaking up to 15 buses on the route at a time), and every 11-16 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.[24]

Route Number	Name	First Stop	Last Stop	Division
12	Teutonia-Hampton	Downtown Intermodal Station	Hampton/124th Brown Deer/Park Plaza-66th	Fond du Lac
14	Humboldt-Forest Home	Southridge Mall (74th/Holmes)	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic
15	Holton-Kinnickinnic	Chicago/Drexel	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic
19	MLK/S. 13th & S. 20th	Zellman Court	Florist/Teutonia	Kinnickinnic
21	North Avenue	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Weekdays Fall/Winter/Spring) North/Water Tower (Summer Weekdays and all Weekends/Holidays)	Mayfair Mall Center/114th (1 bus in the morning, 1 bus in the afternoon on weekdays in Fall/Winter/Spring)	Fond du Lac
22	Center-N. 92nd	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	92nd/Grantosa	Fond du Lac
28	108th Street	Hales Corners Park & Ride	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Fond du Lac
30	Sherman-Wisconsin	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Sherman/Mill	Fond du Lac
31	State-Highland	Downtown Intermodal Station	Mayfair Mall (Via Vliet) Innovation/GE Medical Center (Via State)	Fond du Lac
33	Vliet-Juneau	Prospect/State	Vliet/60th	Kinnickinnic
35	35th Street	Loomis/Howard	Teutonia/Good Hope (Weeknights, Saturday afternoons and Sundays/Holidays) Teutonia/Good Hope via Aurora Health Center (Weekdays and Saturday mornings)	Fond du Lac
40	College Avenue Flyer	10th/Wells	College Southwest Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic
40U	Holt-College UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	College Northeast Park & Ride Milwaukee Area Technical College South Campus	Kinnickinnic
43	Hales Corners Flyer	10th/Wells	Hales Corners Park & Ride	Kinnickinic
44	State Fair Park Flyer	Wisconsin/Cass	76th/Kearney	Fond du Lac
44U	Fair Park-Hales Corners UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Hales Corners Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic
46	Loomis Flyer	10th/Wells	Loomis Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic
48	South Shore Flyer	10th/Wells	Chicago/Drexel	Kinnickinnic
49	Brown Deer-Bayshore Flyer	Kilbourn/6th	Bayshore Park & Ride Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac
49U	Brown Deer UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac
51	Oklahoma Avenue	Oklahoma/Kinnickinnic (New York-Delaware/Oklahoma)	Oklahoma/124th	Kinnickinnic
52	Clement-15th Avenue	Chicago/Drexel	Kinnickinnic/Mitchell	Kinnickinnic
53	Lincoln Avenue	Lincoln/Howell-Kinnickinnic (Bay/Conway)	Lincoln/114th	Kinnickinnic
54	Mitchell-Burnham	United Migrant Opportunity Services via Kinnickinnic (Rosedale/Parking Lot) (Weekdays) Kinnickinnic/Mitchell (Weeknights and Weekends/Holidays)	National/112th	Kinnickinnic
55	Layton Avenue	Lake Dr/Warnimont Park Lipton/Armour-Kinnickinnic	Southridge Mall Hales Corners Park & Ride Layton/107th	Kinnickinnic
56	Greenfield Avenue	1st/Mitchell	Greenfield/121st Industries for the Blind (limited service)	Kinnickinnic
57	Walnut-Appleton	Downtown Intermodal Station	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Fond du Lac
60	Burleigh Street	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Weekdays Fall/Winter/Spring) Humboldt/Locust (Summer Weekdays and all Weekends/Holidays)	124th/Capitol via Mayfair (Feerick/124th)	Fond du Lac
63	Silver Spring Drive-Port Washington	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac
64	S. 60th Street	Southridge Mall (Southeast Lot)	Vliet/60th	Kinnickinnic
67	N. 76th-S. 84th & S. 92nd	Layton/Hawk (87th/84 South)	Northridge Lakes/76th	Fond du Lac
76	N. 60th-S. 68th & S. 76th	Southridge Mall (74th/Holmes) (Southeast Lot)	Brown Deer/96th	Fond du Lac
79	Menomonee Falls Flyer	Wisconsin/Cass	Pilgrim Rd \\\Park & Ride	Fond du Lac
80	6th Street	Villard/Appleton via Green Bay Capitol/35th via Hopkins (35th/Toronto)	Oak Creek via Airport & Milwaukee Area Technical College South Campus (Weekdays) Milwaukee Area Technical College South Campus via Airport (Weekdays) Oak Creek via Airport (Weekends/Holidays) General Mitchell Int'l Airport	Kinnickinnic
81	Amazon-Oak Creek	Fond du Lac/35th-Burleigh	Amazon MKE2 (Oak Creek)	Kinnickinnic
137	County Correctional Facility South	Downtown Milwaukee (Wells/9th)	House of Correction	Kinnickinnic
143	Ozaukee County Express	Walnut/5th-6th	Grafton Commons Saukville Walmart	Fond du Lac
RR1	Ronald Reagan High School - via Route 19	Reagan High School	Silver Spring/35th	Kinnickinnic
RR2	Ronald Reagan High School - via PurpleLine	Reagan High School	Layton Blvd (S. 27th)/National	Kinnickinnic
RR3	Ronald Reagan High School - via BlueLine	Reagan High School	Fond du Lac/Congress	Fond du Lac
BlueLine	Fond du Lac-National	National/70th	Park Place/Liberty Granville/Calumet	Fond du Lac
GoldLine	Wisconsin Avenue-UWM	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Brookfield Square	Fond du Lac
GreenLine	Bayshore-Airport (via Oakland-Howell)	General Mitchell Int'l Airport	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic
PurpleLine	27th Street	Green Bay/Florist 27th/Capitol (Hope-31st St/27th St)	Drexel-IKEA via S. 35th College-Walmart (S. 27th only) 27th/Loomis (Loomis/29th)	Kinnickinnic
RedLine	Capitol Drive	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	128th/Capitol (127th St Pick 'N Save)	Fond du Lac

MCTS NEXT Planned Bus Routes

MCTS is looking to provide "faster service with more connections and increased accessibility".[25] This project, under the name "MCTS NEXT", seeks to implement more high-frequency bus routes, while potentially eliminating lower-frequency routes. This will likely result in an overhaul of the transit system, with major changes including increased service on popular thoroughfares, routes being renamed, and some corridors becoming void of transit service. The project received approval from Milwaukee County in late September 2020. System changes will begin to roll out incrementally beginning in 2021.[26][27]

These are the routes that are planned to start in 2021 from the MCTS NEXT project.[28] This will occur in three phases, with some routes receiving changes in March 2021, then the second phase in June 2021, and the third in August 2021.[29][30]

Phase 1 (March 7, 2021): Routes 15, 19, 20, 31, 33, 35, 51, 52, 63 and 68

Phase 2 (June 6, 2021): PurpleLine and Routes 11, 12, 34, 57, 58, 80 and 88

Phase 3 (August 29, 2021): BlueLine, OrangeLine and Routes 22, 28, 54, 55, 56, 60, 66, 76 and 92

Route Number	Name	First Stop	Last Stop	Division	Changes
11	Hampton Avenue	Green Bay/Hampton	Hampton/124th	Fond du Lac	Current Hampton Branch of Route 12 will become Route 11.
12	Teutonia Avenue	Downtown Intermodal Station	Teutonia/Good Hope Service Rd/Schroeder	Fond du Lac	Current Hampton Branch will become Route 11; service on Brown Deer Road will become Route 88. Service on Wisconsin Avenue between 6th Street and 12th Street shifted one block north to Wells.
14	Humboldt-Forest Home	Southridge Mall (74th/Holmes)	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic	No changes
15	Holton-Kinnickinnic	Chicago/Drexel	Richards/Capitol	Kinnickinnic	Route 15 will no longer serve Port Washington Road or Bayshore Town Center on the north end-replaced by Route 68. On the south end will no longer serve 5th Avenue-replaced by Route 52. This route will become high frequency.
19	Dr. MLK Drive-S. 13th	Zellman Court	Florist/Teutonia	Kinnickinnic	Current 20th Street Branch of Route 19 will become Route 20. The new Route 19 will not offer service on 2nd Street between Wisconsin and National. Instead of having service on 2nd Street as it does currently, it will serve 6th Street between Kilbourn and Mitchell.
20	S. 20th Street	College-Walmart	2nd/National	Kinnickinnic	New route created from 20th Street Branch of current Route 19. This will be a daytime-only route (service 6am-8pm).
21	North Avenue	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Weekdays Fall/Winter/Spring) North/Water Tower (Summer Weekdays and all Weekends/Holidays)	Mayfair Mall	Fond du Lac	No changes
22	Center Street	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	North/124th	Fond du Lac	Service on 92nd Street north of Center will be replaced by Route 92. The new route 22 will travel on Center to 92nd, turn south on 92nd and continue to North Avenue where it will layover at 124th & North. The primary motivation for this change is to offer service to the Mayfair Mall area though the route will not operate into the mall itself (will stay on North Avenue).
28	108th Street	Speedway Dr-Lovers Lane/Forest Home	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Fond du Lac	Route 28 will no longer travel on Mayfair Road between Hampton and Burleigh, and North Avenue-124th-Watertown Plank. Both corridors of the route were particularly underused. The new Route 28 will serve 124th Street north of Burleigh and will remain on Mayfair Road for the entirely of the route south of Burleigh.
30	Sherman-Wisconsin	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Sherman/Mill	Fond du Lac	No changes
31	State-Highland	Downtown Intermodal Station	Mayfair Mall	Fond du Lac	The Vliet-Mayfair branch of Route 31 will be eliminated, leaving the State Branch, which will be reconfigured to still offer service to Mayfair Mall. After leaving MRMC (Milwaukee Regional Medical Center), it will continue on Watertown Plank Road to Mayfair Road, where it will terminate at Mayfair Mall. There will still be limited service into the Research Park area. Service on Wisconsin Avenue and 12th Street will be shifted to Highland and 6th Street.
33	Vliet-84th	Prospect/State	National/79th	Kinnickinnic	After its current layover at 60th/Vliet-Milwaukee, Route 33 will continue on Milwaukee Avenue to Glenview/84th to replace part of the 84th Street branch of the current Route 67.
34	Hopkins-Congress	Clybourn/5th	92nd/Grantosa	Fond du Lac	Route 34 will replace the Hopkins Branch of Route 80 and the Congress branch of the BlueLine to 92nd/Grantosa.
35	35th Street	Layton/60th	Teutonia/Good Hope (Weeknights, Saturday afternoons and Sundays/Holidays) Teutonia/Good Hope via Aurora Health Center (Weekdays and Saturday mornings)	Fond du Lac	Route 35 will become high frequency and extended to the south to serve a major grocery store near 60th & Layton.
40	College Avenue Flyer	10th/Wells	College Southwest Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic	No changes
40U	Holt-College UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	College Northeast Park & Ride Milwaukee Area Technical College South Campus	Kinnickinnic	No changes
43	Hales Corners Flyer	10th/Wells	Hales Corners Park & Ride	Kinnickinic	No changes
44	State Fair Park Flyer	Wisconsin/Cass	76th/Kearney	Fond du Lac	No changes
44U	Fair Park-Hales Corners UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Hales Corners Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic	No changes
46	Loomis Flyer	10th/Wells	Loomis Park & Ride	Kinnickinnic	No changes
48	South Shore Flyer	10th/Wells	Chicago/Drexel	Kinnickinnic	No changes
49	Brown Deer-Bayshore Flyer	Kilbourn/6th	Bayshore Park & Ride Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac	No changes
49U	Brown Deer UBUS	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac	No changes
51	Oklahoma Avenue	Oklahoma/Kinnickinnic (New York-Delaware/Oklahoma)	Oklahoma/124th	Kinnickinnic	Route 51 will become high frequency.
52	Clement-Pennsylvania	Chicago/Drexel	Herman/Kinnickinnic-Pryor	Kinnickinnic	Route 52 will become a daytime-only route (service 6am-8pm) and reconfigured on the south end to offer service to Puetz Road in Oak Creek. The new route 52 will no longer serve Kinnickinnic Avenue between Herman/Pryor and Mitchell.
53	Lincoln Avenue	Lincoln/Howell-Kinnickinnic (Bay/Conway)	Lincoln/114th	Kinnickinnic	No changes
54	Mitchell-Burnham	Holt/1st	National/69th	Kinnickinnic	From its usual layover at KK/Mitchell, Route 54 will be extended to serve Chase Avenue to Holt. This route will be truncated at 70th/National where the BlueLine currently lays over. National Avenue service west of 84th Street replaced by new OrangeLine.
55	Layton Avenue	Lake Drive/Warnimont Park Lipton/Armour-Kinnickinnic	Hales Corners Park & Ride Layton/107th	Kinnickinnic	Route 55 will stay on Layton Avenue and will no longer serve Southridge Mall or 76th Street between Layton and Edgerton.
56	Greenfield-S. 43rd	1st/Mitchell	Loomis/Howard	Kinnickinnic	Route 56 will be reconfigured to serve the popular Miller Park Way corridor in West Milwaukee; service on Greenfield Avenue west of 60th Street will be replaced by new OrangeLine.
57	Walnut-Appleton	Downtown Intermodal Station	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Fond du Lac	No changes
58	Villard Avenue	Green Bay/Hampton	Villard/Appleton	Fond du Lac	The former Villard Branch of Route 80.
60	60th Street	Southridge Mall (74th/Holmes) 60th/Greenfield-National	Brown Deer/Park Plaza-66th	Fond du Lac	Current Route 76 service on North 60th Street will become Route 60 and will also replace Route 64's service on South 60th Street.
63	Silver Spring Drive	Lovers Lane/Silver Spring	Bayshore Town Center	Fond du Lac	The Port Washington Road portion of Route 63 will be replaced by Route 68.
66	Burleigh Street	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Weekdays Fall/Winter/Spring) Humboldt/Locust (Summer Weekdays and all Weekends/Holidays)	Mayfair Mall	Fond du Lac	Route 60 will be renamed Route 66 so that the route that runs on 60th Street can be designated as Route 60. Service on Burleigh/124th Street west of Mayfair Road will be replaced by the new Route 28.
68	Port Washington Road	Fratney/Capitol	Brown Deer Rd East Park & Ride	Fond du Lac	Route 68 will replace the Port Washington Road portion of Routes 15 and 63. This will be a daytime-only route (service 6am-8pm).
76	N. 60th-S. 70th	Southridge Mall (74th/Holmes)	Northridge Lakes/76th	Fond du Lac	Current Route 67 service on North 76th Street will be renamed Route 76. The new 76 will cover portions of the South 76th Street branch of the current Route 76, but will no longer serve the South 68th Street branch
79	Menomonee Falls Flyer	Wisconsin/Cass	Pilgrim Park & Ride	Fond du Lac	No changes
80	6th Street	Green Bay/Florist	Oak Creek via Airport & Milwaukee Area Technical College South Campus (Weekdays) Oak Creek via Airport (Weekends/Holidays) General Mitchell Int'l Airport	Kinnickinnic	The Hopkins branch of current Route 80 will become part of Route 34. The Villard Branch of current Route 80 will become Route 58. The new Route 80 will continue north on Green Bay to Florist replacing PurpleLine service north of Silver Spring. There will be more trips to Oak Creek. This route will also become high frequency.
81	Amazon-Oak Creek	Fond du Lac/35th-Burleigh	Amazon MKE2 (Oak Creek)	Kinnickinnic	No changes
88	Brown Deer Road	124th/Woodmans	Service Rd/Schroeder	Fond du Lac	Route 88 will replace the current Route 12 and Route 76 portion on Brown Deer Road. The new route 88 will be extended to 124th Street.
92	92nd Street	Heather/107th	Layton/Hawk (87th/84 South) Bluemound/104th	Fond du Lac	Route 92 will replace BlueLine service on 91st Street and will be extended north to 107th/Heather. It will also replace Route 22 service on North 92nd Street as well as the South 92nd Street branch of current Route 67.
137	County Correctional Facility South	Wells/9th	House of Correction	Kinnickinnic	No changes
143	Ozaukee County Express	Walnut/5th-6th	Saukville Walmart	Fond du Lac	No changes
RR1	Reagan High School - via Route 19	Reagan High School	35th/Silver Spring	Kinnickinnic	No changes
RR2	Reagan High School - via PurpleLine	Reagan High School	Layton Blvd (S. 27th)/National	Kinnickinnic	No changes
RR3	Reagan High School - via Routes 19 and BlueLine	Reagan High School	Congress/Fond du Lac	Fond du Lac	No changes
BlueLine	Fond du Lac	Clybourn/5th	Park Place/Liberty Fond du Lac/Constance (Hampton)	Fond du Lac	National Avenue service on the current BlueLine will be replaced by the new OrangeLine. Some trips will offer service north of Park Place/Liberty to 124th Street.
GoldLine	Wisconsin Avenue-UWM	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Brookfield Square	Fond du Lac	No changes
GreenLine	Bayshore-Airport	General Mitchell Int'l Airport	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic	No changes
OrangeLine	National-Greenfield	Kilbourn/Water	Greenfield/121st Industries for the Blind (limited service) National/110th	Kinnickinnic	National-Greenfield Branch: New route that will replace the current BlueLine's service on National Avenue and Route 56's service on Greenfield west of National/60th. Offers service to Industries for the Blind. National Only Branch: Will replace Route 54's service on National Avenue west of 84th Street.
PurpleLine	27th Street	Drexel-IKEA via S. 35th College-Walmart (S. 27th only)	Bayshore Town Center	Kinnickinnic	The PurpleLine will now turn east on Silver Spring from Green Bay to Bayshore Town Center on the north end. Service on Green Bay north of Silver Spring will be replaced by Route 80.
RedLine	Capitol Drive	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	128th/Capitol (127th St Pick 'N Save)	Fond du Lac	No changes

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.

Other Projects

East-West BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)

The East-West BRT is a 9-mile planned route that would serve the region's most traveled corridor. The BRT route would run primarily along Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee and Bluemound Road in Wauwatosa, connecting riders from Downtown Milwaukee and Marquette University to the west side of the city to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC).[31] Its goal is to connect thousands of people to and from work, universities and recreational centers. In late 2018, the project design was finalized, and subsequently received federal approval.[32] As of December 2020, MCTS is expecting to utilize a Small Starts Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration, which accounts for $40.9 million of the $55 million project.[33] Soon, MCTS is expected to select a construction contractor, with construction beginning in Spring 2021. MCTS is also looking for a vehicle manufacturer for the 11 battery-electric buses that will be used on the BRT route. A manufacturer is expected to be selected by the end of December 2020, with delivery anticipated in Spring 2022. Revenue service on the route is anticipated to begin in Fall 2022. It is estimated that by 2035, the East-West BRT route would average more than 9,500 weekday riders, with overall transit ridership in the corridor increasing by 17%.[34]

North-South Transit Enhancement Project

Currently, Milwaukee County and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) are engaged in a study of the 27th Street Corridor with regard to along and in a half-mile radius of the PurpleLine. Similar to the East-West BRT project, there are a considerable amount of jobs, shopping centers and medical facilities along the PurpleLine. As a result, there are potential plans to improve transit along this corridor, which could mean expanding the PurpleLine, and also offering rail service. This project, which began in late January 2021, intends to build off of the East-West BRT Project, possibly offering another high-frequency service route. While the current PurpleLine is already an pseudo-express route, it does not truly offer authentic express service for the majority of the route, as on average, stops are 0.2 miles apart. This is one of the aspects of transit in this corridor that this project will address.[35]

Regional Transit Authority

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.[36]

Discontinued Bus Vehicles 1996-2006

4000-4099: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 1996. Discontinued : August 2010. 4100-4145: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 1997. Discontinued : August 2010. 4200-4208: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 1998. Discontinued : August 2010. 4300-4389: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 2000. Discontinued : August 2010. 4400-4468: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 2001. Discontinued : August 2010. 4500-4519: Builder : New Flyer. Model : D30LF. Delivered : 2002. Discontinued : August 2010. 4600-4639 : Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered : 2002. Discontinued : May 2011. 4700-4750 : Builder : New Flyer. Model : D40LF. Delivered :

References

1. "About Us > FAQs". Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS). 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
2. 2013 Public Transportation Fact Book (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. October 2013. p. 8. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
3. {http://www.ridemcts.com/about-us/who-is-mcts-}
4. "PETA honors MCTS bus driver who saved turtle" from WDJT (Weigel Broadcasting) (July 8, 2019)
5. "‘MCTS Excellence’ Video Series Honored with Prestigious National Award" from Urban Milwaukee (July 21, 2019)
6. "MCTS to Require Masks on Buses Starting August 1". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
7. "MCTS Updates on Coronavirus or COVID-19". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
8. "Milwaukee County advances grant request for BRT hybrids, orders more diesel buses" from Milwaukee Business Journal (June 6, 2018)
9. https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2019/08/14/bus-mural-on-immigration-draws-flak/
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrYymBL2ZsE
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E7xuJWM1_0
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kshxXvMaqk
13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx27592P2h8
14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0SQMgdXtjk
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmM8bGxkyj0
16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgTShjCRhaw. Missing or empty |title= (help)
17. riedmcts.com/about-us/news/new-mcts-buses-hitting-the-road
18. ridemcts.com/about-us/news/new-mcts-buses-hitting-the-road
19. "Now Hiring: Milwaukee County Transit System Seeks Drivers, Mechanics". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
20. "Ride MCTS | Rider Information | New Freedom". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
21. "MCTS bus veers off road into trees to avoid sliding into traffic". WISN. 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
22. "Ride MCTS | Routes & Schedules". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
23. "Route 57's 'JobLines' Extension into Waukesha County Ends August 24". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
24. "Library | North-South Transit Enhancement Study". MKE NS Transit. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
25. "MCTS NEXT". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
26. "Latest Updates". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
27. "Ride MCTS | About MCTS | News". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
28. "MCTS NEXT Recommended System Map". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
29. Kilmer, Graham. "Transportation: Bus System Overhaul Beginning in March". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
30. "Ride MCTS | Programs | MCTS NEXT". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
31. "Ride MCTS | About MCTS | News". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
32. "FONSI". www.eastwestbrt.com. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
33. "Ride MCTS | About MCTS | Bus Rapid Transit". www.ridemcts.com. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
34. "Home". www.eastwestbrt.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
35. "Home | Milwaukee North-South Transit Enhancement Study". North-South Transit Study. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
36. Sandler, Larry; Stein, Jason (March 3, 2010). "Bill could have public paying again for buses". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

External links

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