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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Transit System will continue its free ride period into early 2024 on the new CONNECT 1 BRT line, according to MCTS on Monday.

The change is due to supply chain issues.

A new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) feature that may be available in 2024 is pre-board payment, according to a statement.

The pre-payment feature will reduce boarding process times in public transit. Riders will be able to use their WisGo card to scan or access the Umo mobile app before boarding the CONNECT 1.

Read the full announcement below:

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and its fare payment service provider, Umo Mobility, have agreed to extend the free ride period on the new CONNECT 1 BRT line into early 2024. Riders can continue to explore the regional, 9-mile route that reaches major employers, education, recreation, and medical destinations, at no cost. One of the new features of Milwaukee County’s new Bus Rapid Transit line (BRT) is pre-board payment. Due to a supply chain delay, the pre-board fare equipment will not be ready as planned this fall.

MCTS will announce the timeline when WisGo pre-board fare collection will begin on the BRT sometime in early 2024, along with timing for an educational campaign throughout the community.

A Preview of Pre-Payment Along the BRT in 2024

MCTS will join major metros that already offer pre-board payment including San Francisco, Portland, Paris, and Berlin, and will be the first to offer pre-board bus payment in the state of Wisconsin. When riders pay at the platform before boarding the bus, it speeds up the boarding process. Pre-board payment is found more often in rail service than public transit. Once the new platform validators are installed in 2024, riders will be able to simply scan their WisGo card or Umo mobile app prior to boarding the CONNECT 1.

Read the full article here.

By Savanna Tomei

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Students in Janesville can now ride public transit for free.

What You Need To Know:

• Starting this school year, Janesville students get free fares on public transportation
• Previously, like many public transit systems, students got reduced fares
• Before the pandemic, students took an average of 45,000 to 50,000 reduced rate rides per year

Previously, students could get reduced rates on public transportation in Janesville, not unlike many other cities in Wisconsin.

“We were averaging about 45,000 to 50,000 student rides in previous calendar years, particularly before the pandemic,” said Rebecca Smith, director of Janesville Transit System (JTS).

Starting this school year, the rides for Janesville students are free.

“Students have to just show their student ID card and they can board any city bus any time we’re in service,” she said.

They’re also adding more bus routes at the times kids need them most.

“We can capture that ridership peak in the morning with an additional four buses on the road, and we can capture that ridership after school with an additional nine buses on the road,” Smith said. 

Edgar Alonso has been driving for JTS for 17 years. Every year, he said he looks forward to school starting again.

“I used to drive 60 kids in the morning during school time, so I’m expecting more than that,” he said.

He gets to know the students who take his bus, and although he’s hesitant to admit it, he said he does develop favorites.

“They are funny,” he said. “They’re kids, they behave like kids. So they keep you on your toes.”

Students don’t even need to be coming to or from school to utilize the free rides. They can be an opportunity for young people to get to work, or just spend time with their friends.

“Parents can help their students get jobs, go to the mall, head to the library, do other fun things around town at any time, and now, those rides are free,” Smith said.

Smith said she expects this year to eclipse that 50,000 student rides per year now that fares are free.

Find the full article here.

The ATP project team is completing a quick poll to identify favorite places to walk, bike, or roll in Wisconsin.  Please click on the link below to let us know your favorite places and what makes them special!

Join us and MIPTA for an exciting conference on October 23 - 25 - don't miss out!

Register here: https://www.mpta-transit.org/event/2023-wisconsinminnesota-public-transit-expo

Become an exhibitor: https://www.mpta-transit.org/event/2023-wisconsinminnesota-public-transit-expo

Ridership continues to rise on the County of Door’s public-transit services, including Door County Connect (DCC) and Door 2 Door Rides.

During pre-COVID 2019, these services provided more than 47,720 rides. Since then, ridership has remained just under 40,000 rides until last year, when 42,130-plus rides were provided.

“Rides continue to increase each month,” said Pam Busch, the county’s transportation manager.

Busch said that on average, there were more than 3,500 rides provided per month in 2022, and already in 2023, average trips per month have increased to almost 3,900.

“We are projecting to provide well over 46,000 trips in 2023,” Busch said.

Public-transit services can be used for any purpose, but employment rides have increased and were the largest rider category in 2022.

“We have also seen an increase in younger people using the services,” Busch said.

DCC is available Monday-Thursday, 7:45 am – 4:15 pm; and Friday, 7:45 am – 1:15 pm. DCC operates primarily in the City of Sturgeon Bay and up to 10 miles from the Aging and Disability Resource Center. The cost per ride is $2 in the city and $5 in the extended area. Call 920.746.6944 to schedule a ride.

https://doorcountypulse.com/public-transit-rides-increasing-in-door-county/

More than one month into Madison's first full-scale Metro Transit service redesign in more than 25 years, ridership is already up by 5% compared to last summer, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.

In a blog post, the mayor said Metro has gotten feedback from riders praising the more direct routes they say make planning trips easier and shorten travel times. The new routes rolled out in June with the goal of reducing wait times by creating more direct main pathways.

Despite that, some riders have voiced concerns to News 3 Now about changes that have made it harder to get to destinations like UW Hospital.

Rhodes-Conway acknowledged, though, that there was "room for improvement."

"Because Metro is only able to make service changes four times a year (June, August, December and March, when drivers officially pick their shifts) they’ve been monitoring how things are going, listening carefully to feedback from the public, looking for issues, and preparing adjustments so that they are reflected in time for drivers’ August shift pick," she wrote.

A round of small changes will take effect Aug. 20, including extra routes to the hospital and more buses on the popular Route 80 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Those changes also aim to address reports of buses running late and a lack of accessibility at some stops.

After August 20, changes can be expected a few times next year before the launch of the city's Bus Rapid Transit system next fall. 

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGtwWDLRdlXqGxdMlwsMFTVzhxB

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is currently working on the Wisconsin Active Transportation Plan 2050 (ATP).

In early August, WisDOT will hold six virtual open houses to talk about the ATP and hear what goals and visions people throughout Wisconsin (you!) have for walking, biking, and rolling.

The Open Houses will be held at numerous times on Tuesday, August 1 and Wednesday, August 9. 

Please visit the ATP website to find your WisDOT region and register for an Open House.

Please join us to help shape the vision for active transportation in Wisconsin!

Congratulation to Madison Metro and MCTS on their grants to support eliminating persistent poverty! Only 47 communities in the nation were selected to receive funding!

/www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/grant-programs/fiscal-year-2023-areas-persistent-poverty-aopp-project-selections

Monday marked the official launch of the Milwaukee County Transit System’s CONNECT 1 service. A ribbon-cutting event was held on the corner of 27th and Wisconsin Avenue on Milwaukee’s west side to mark the occasion. 

The CONNECT 1 line runs nine miles between downtown Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center complex in Wauwatosa, with intermediate stops every few blocks. Buses running on the line are electric, a first for Milwaukee County.

Throughout the past year, new bus stops have been built along Wisconsin Avenue and other streets where the bus travels. Work on the CONNECT 1 line has been happening since 2016.

Supporters of the project who spoke at Monday’s event, including Congresswoman Gwen Moore, said it is an exciting time. 

“It connects us to our overall vision to have a sustainable environment, and it also connects people to work, it connects people to health opportunities,” said Moore. 

With service running every 10 minutes during peak times, commuters can look forward to shorter wait times for buses. In addition, riders with disabilities will have more transportation options. 

Denise Koss uses a wheelchair to get around. Since she doesn’t drive, Koss regularly uses the bus. Koss said she feels confident knowing the new buses are equipped to meet her needs. 

“Safety is paramount to me, because I need to know that my chair is not going to move, and I want to be safe on the bus,” said Koss. 

While many are pleased to see the CONNECT 1 line up and running, questions remain about the impact the bus line will have on traffic along busy corridors like Wisconsin Avenue. 

Milwaukee Ald. Robert Bauman said he thinks having the line will be good for commuters, but does have concerns about what it could mean for overall traffic along the route. 

“The dedicated lanes, whether they are going to be effective in keeping regular traffic out. And, to the extent, they will get congested with regular motor vehicles that will slow down the bus so they will lose the travel time savings,” said Bauman.

The CONNECT 1 service will be free to riders through September. After that, traditional MCTS fares will apply.