Milwaukee County's transportation committee appeared both hopeful and cautious about the county transit agency's plans to minimize the impact of bus system cuts in 2026.
At a Committee on Transportation and Transit meeting Dec. 3, supervisors discussed the agency's latest report on how it might leverage $5 million set aside in the 2026 budget for public transit. The report recommended maintaining bus services during peak hours on six routes set for elimination, and keeping a reduced version of same-day paratransit service.
"We've been waiting for this moment," Supervisor and Committee Chair Steven Shea said as the report was introduced.
When news of the agency's significant shortfall this year reached the supervisors, it appeared as though the board faced a "horrible crisis," Shea said later in the meeting. This forward progress isn't the end of the story, but MCTS has done "a darn good job" with these recommendations, he said.
The reason for caution lies in the future projected deficits at the agency.
Milwaukee County Transit System's 2025 deficit now sits at $9 million, but the 2026 deficit is projected at $14 million.
In 2027, the agency projects the deficit will fall between $17 million and $20 million based on current service levels, MCTS President and CEO Steve Fuentes told the committee.
"I want to make sure it is fully understood that the way we start January, I would almost say with certainty, is not how we're going to end the year," Fuentes said.
Supervisor Jack Eckblad asked how it was decided which routes to restore during peak hours.
Jesus Ochoa, director of service development at MCTS, said the agency took a holistic approach that weighed ridership levels alongside demographic data such as income levels, minority populations and zero-car households.
Get the Suburban News newsletter in your inbox.
Top headlines from the suburbs delivered to your inbox twice a week
Delivery: Tues, Thurs
Your Email
Supervisor Justin Bielinski asked whether it was prudent to spend $1.4 on delaying route changes until March 7, 2026, instead of Jan. 11, 2026.
"That seems like a really steep price to pay, just to delay changes for two months. I know [the agency] wanted to try to get [the route changes] out of winter months, but you could restore an entire route for a year with that much."
Ochoa said the agency's reasoning was to ensure people have enough time to adjust to the route changes. He also noted the agency would take extensive steps to notify riders about the incoming changes during that time, through the website, social media platforms, alerts on agency apps, communicating with partner organizations, as well as on-board signage and audio messages.
Supervisor Jack Eckblad asked transit officials whether they'd made headway on community partnerships that could assist the agency. Fuentes noted that the transit agency is engaged in ongoing conversations with Milwaukee Public Schools about ensuring students have adequate access to transportation.
Kevin Meyers, who is visually impaired and serves on the county's Same-Day Paratransit Pilot Task Force and the Transportation Advocacy Committee, said he appreciated the agency's efforts to maintain the same-day paratransit service.
"This is going to help individuals with disabilities to continue to work, attend high school or college, take care of routine medical and work issues and participate in community life," Meyers said.
He also asked the board and the agency to continue including feedback from users, including those with disabilities, throughout future decision-making.
Jedidiah Moss, who is legally blind and regularly uses Route 28 to get to his job at Beyond Vision, raised concerns that operating key fixed routes during peak hours may leave out workers who must arrive at jobs before or after peak hours, especially restaurant employees with whom he often rides the bus.
Fuentes said decisions about when peak-hour services will occur haven't been finalized but are being determined with ridership level data.
Members of the local transit union ATU 998, including Legislative Director Tom Stawicki and Vice President Michael Brown, raised concerns about issues with fare collection boxes on buses, which are not always accurate or in good condition. This is a problem for the agency's ability to collect revenue, they said.
Fuentes said the transit agency is working toward implementing new fare boxes within its budget constraints.
No action was taken on the report Dec. 3. The full Board of Supervisors will take up a decision on the recommendations at a future meeting.
MCTS recommended keeping buses that would have been cut during peak hours, delaying route segment cuts and keeping a reduced same-day paratransit service
The report's recommendations for spending the $5 million throughout 2026 are as follows:
- Maintaining service along the six bus routes that had previously been on the chopping block, only during peak hours, which would cost $2.5 million. Those routes are 20 (South 20th Street), 28 (108th Street), 33 (Vliet Street), 34 (Hopkins Street), 55 (Layton Avenue), and 58 (Villard Avenue).
- Monitoring bus use patterns and make service level adjustments throughout the year with $385,785 in contingency funds.
- Keeping the same-day paratransit program afloat in a reduced form, which would cost $750,000. Last year, the program cost more than $1.4 million, meaning the county will need to limit rides solely for work or medical-related trips, reduce the number of overall trips per month or reduce its available hours, according to the report.
- Delaying elimination of certain route segments until March 7, 2026, instead of Jan. 11 to give passengers more time to adjust to the reductions, which would cost an estimated $1.4 million. The route segments that would be eliminated in March are 11 (Hampton Avenue), 22 (Center Street), 24 (Forest Home Avenue), 80 (6th Street), and 88 (Brown Deer Road).
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2025/12/03/plans-to-save-some-mcts-bus-routes-from-cuts-win-cautious-praise/87570459007/
