The Milwaukee County Transit System launched its new express service this weekend with the introduction of the Blue, Green and Red MetroEXpress lines.
The new routes are part of a broader change to the city’s bus system, which has been forced to adjust due to reductions in state funding. In an unveiling ceremony held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, MCTS managing director Lloyd Grant Jr. praised the creation of the routes as a new beginning for the city’s public transportation system.
“Today, we are taking a big step forward in the transportation infrastructure of our community,” Grant said. “We will be turning a page in a new chapter in the history of the Milwaukee County Transit System as we launch these three new express bus routes.”
The MetroEXpress lines will cut travel times by having stops placed further apart, often skipping stops already covered by other bus routes. Typically, bus stops are placed every 1/8 of a mile, but express stops are spaced between every 1/4 to every 1/2 of a mile.
Of the three express routes, only the BlueLine, from Fond Du Lac to National Avenues, comes onto the Marquette campus. The GreenLine offers service from Bayshore Mall to Mitchell Airport, while the RedLine travels down Capitol Drive before making a loop at the UWM campus. All three will run seven days a week.
The creation of the express routes has also led MCTS to adjust its other routes, some of which were made redundant by the new lines. Routes 11, 18 and 68 were eliminated while routes 15, 23, 54, 62 and 63 have been significantly changed.
In addition, two new non-express routes have been created. The new route 56 bus will travel primarily down Greenfield Avenue, while route 52 will go from Clement Avenue to 15th Avenue
The recent changes in bus service are due to the system’s fluctuating financial situation. MCTS faced a 10 percent ($6.8 million) cut in state funding for 2012 and 2013, while also experiencing rising fuel, labor and maintenance costs.
MCTS was able to maintain its services through the use of a federal grant from the Congestion Mitigation and Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program. The $19.1 million grant was created by consolidating $12.7 million originally earmarked for the canceled Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project and $6.4 million meant for a defunct bus rapid transit plan.
Although the grant has enabled the creation of the three new express lines, the money is expected to last for only two years, after which future funding remains uncertain.
Lee Holloway, the chairman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, called for the system to receive dedicated funding in order to avoid future budgetary shortfalls.
“We need to get off the taxpayer dime,” Holloway said. “We need to have dedicated funding. We are going to be progressive in trying to get any additional funding we can get to make this bus system a great bus system again.”
Michael Mayo Sr., the chairman of the county’s Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee, agreed with Holloway, emphasizing the role buses play in the local community.
“Milwaukee transit is the heartbeat of Milwaukee county,” Mayo said. “We are going to continue to fight hard to make sure transit remains viable.”