MCTS weighs 25% bus service cuts as it faces growing budget deficit
CBS 58 MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Milwaukee County Transit System leaders are weighing significant changes to bus service as the agency works to close a projected multimillion-dollar budget gap.
"We are anticipated to have a budget deficit in 2027 of over $15 million, which grows to $37 million in 2031," MCTS President and CEO Steve Fuentes said.
Transit leaders presented two concepts Wednesday that assume a 25% reduction in service to help close the gap.
The first, called the ridership concept, would put more frequent buses on fewer routes.
"In some places with this concept, they have to walk longer to a more frequent service," said Ricky Angueira of Jarrett Walker + Associates.
Angueira said the approach could make bus service more useful for people living along the remaining routes.
"People who live along these two routes would find the service very useful because they don't wait a long time, it's easy for them to transfer and they can reach a lot of places," Angueira said.
The second option, called the coverage concept, would keep more routes in service but reduce how often buses run.
"Center is changing from every 30 to every 60 minutes. That is what we had to do to account for that 25% reduction while keeping services near everybody, but that means people will have to wait longer for service," Angueira said.
The proposed changes are drawing concerns from transit workers and advocates.
"You're going to make it even worse for a teenager to go out and catch the bus to school," Amalgamated Transit Union representative Michael Brown said. "If there's no service there, they'll have to leave the house at 5 a.m. to get to school at 8 a.m."
Fuentes said the cuts would provide MCTS with more short-term financial stability.
"Our service levels can be fully funded for three years due to that 25% service reduction, which means we're sustainable for a short time period," Fuentes said.
MCTS plans to hold informational sessions and gather public input on the two concepts throughout September and October.
The concepts are not final route plans. A final redesigned network is expected to be completed in summer 2027.
