Milwaukee Bus Routes Cut
System has Fewer Riders, Higher Fares

Fewer people are riding public buses in Milwaukee County. But the reasons why are not clear.

What is clear is that Milwaukee County is taking a different path than the rest of the nation. Ridership on the Milwaukee County system dropped in 2007. Ridership fell to the lowest level in 33 years, according to reports.

Bus riders increased nationwide
Nationwide, ridership in 2006 was the highest in 49 years. The American Public Transportation Association says national transit ridership totaled 10.1 billion in 2006.

Higher gasoline prices are believed to be one of the reasons more people are riding buses in other cities. Buses in some cities are also faster than traveling by car. The delays that drivers run into could be a second reason more people are riding buses in other cities.

Bus ridership on the Milwaukee County system dropped nine percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. The system carried 42.5 million riders in 2007. The total for 2006 was 46.6 million.

The 2007 total was the lowest since Milwaukee County took over the bus system in 1975. Before that, the system was privately owned.

The situation could get worse, the planning commission said. A study suggests that service could be cut by 35 percent by 2010. The study says the cuts are possible unless new local or state money is found to pay for running the system.  

The planning commission said the Milwaukee system has been affected since 2000 by increasing fares and cuts in service. The system lost 17 routes from 2000 through 2007.

Bus service late at night also was reduced. The system now covers only 85 percent of the miles it did in 2000. 
Cuts in bus service concern business and industry. The cuts can affect jobs in Milwaukee and nearby counties and the workers who rely on buses to get them to jobs in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Ozaukee Counties

Fares are 30% higher
The price of a ticket for an adult rider increased 30 percent during that time. The fare was $1.35 in 2001. By 2007, the fare increased to $1.75.

Some of the reasons for the decline in the Milwaukee system may be due to higher ticket prices. Another reason could be changes in routes. Some routes have been eliminated. Other routes have been shortened.

The Milwaukee system has some of the highest fares in the nation. The drop in ridership may also have been one of the largest declines of any major system in the nation. The system in the Cleveland, Ohio area had a larger decline in the first nine months of 2007. But the system ended the year with only a one percent drop.

Milwaukee County’s system gets more state aid than local funds. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker refuses to raise taxes to pay for the bus system. Walker says the state should increase what it pays for the system.