Gov. Tony Evers wants to boost state funding for mass transit and create a fund to help local agencies purchase new buses.

The governor unveiled his proposed 2025-2027 biennial budget Tuesday, which included a proposed 4% increase in mass transit aids, as well as the creation of a new fund to support transit vehicle replacements.

Both items, if ultimately approved, would help the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) as it enters a difficult period. MCTS has a longstanding structural budget deficit: it costs more to operate the system each year than MCTS has revenue.

The transit system has used federal stimulus funding to plug budget holes for the past five years. Once the federal funds run out, though, the system is facing a budget gap between approximately $12 and $18 million, according to a 2024 report by the Office of the Comptroller. MCTS recently cancelled the a second bus rapid transit project to save long-term operating expenses associated with the route, and to move finds dedicated to planning it back into the general operating budget, staving off service cuts until at least 2028, the last year the system will have federal funding.

In the previous biennial state budget, MCTS received approximately $66.8 million annually through the Urban Mass Transit Operating Aid program. A 4% increase in funding for MCTS under this program would mean an additional $2.7 million annually. The additional funding will not close the structural gap, but it will help.

“I’m especially encouraged by the budget increases in mass transit aid and transportation funding so we can keep investing in our infrastructure, supporting job creation efforts, and maintaining public transit services for people in Milwaukee County,” County Executive David Crowley said in a statement on the governor’s proposed budget.

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Urban Mass Transit Operating Aid is the single largest source of operational funding for MCTS each year. MCTS is also the greatest beneficiary of this state program. The combined program funding for other transit systems under this program is still less than what MCTS receives.

In 2023, Republican state legislators potentially weakened the position of this program, moving it out of the segregated Transportation Fund and into the General Purpose Revenue Fund, pitting it against other state funding priorities like K-12 education and healthcare.

Evers’ budget could do more for MCTS than increase operating assistance, though. The governor is also proposing to create a new $20 million grant program to assist transit agencies with vehicle replacements.

MCTS has been struggling in recent years to keep up with its bus replacement schedule for lack of funding. The system needs approximately 150 buses over the next five years to replace all of the buses that will reach the end of the useful life. The industry standard for the life of a bus is 12-years or 500,000 miles.

“We thank Governor Evers for both proposing an increase in mass transit aids for public transportation and creating a new Transit Capital Assistance Fund to modernize aging facilities and purchase additional buses to improve transportation safety and address inflationary costs on purchasing new equipment,” MCTS said in a statement to Urban Milwaukee. “With a ridership increase of 11.5 percent in 2024, we will need more funding to go along with this growth to deliver patrons to businesses and employees to jobs.”

Road Safety Funding

The governor’s proposed budget also includes provisions that would lend support to the Milwaukee County’s road safety projects. A new $60 million fund would be created to provide grants for traffic calming and reckless driving projects over the biennium. Additionally, the budget would codify “complete streets” pedestrian considerations for transportation infrastructure projects.

“If passed, Governor Evers’ budget proposal will allow the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation to sustain important transportation initiatives that contribute to the economic vitality of the entire state of Wisconsin,” MCDOT Director Donna Brown-Martin said in a statement to Urban Milwaukee. The department “applauds projects that could help us achieve our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries in Milwaukee County by 2037,” she added. 

MCDOT has spent the past three years creating a comprehensive, countywide plan for road safety, identifying hundreds of areas for traffic safety interventions.

“Proposed traffic calming grants, driver education grants, and complete streets directives support the initiatives we are working towards, in collaboration with our municipalities and state, local, and community partners,” Brown-Martin said. 

Safer transportation infrastructure will have ripple effects, improving local quality of life and supporting economic growth, the director said.

“Enhancing the safety of our roads is one of the most important issues facing the health, well-being, and economic vitality of our community,” Crowley said. “Collaboration and partnership will be key to increasing multimodal safety and reducing reckless driving. Milwaukee County supports any efforts, including support from the State of Wisconsin, that help eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while improving overall health outcomes for our residents.”

APTA Holds Webinar on Impacts of Executive Actions on Public Transportation

More than 1,300 APTA members joined the association’s Impacts of Executive Actions on Public Transportation webinar Feb. 20. APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas kicked off the event, explaining that it was the first in a series of informative discussions that APTA will hold on the Executive Orders and directives.

Also speaking were three APTA senior attorneys: Ward McCarragher, APTA vice president for government affairs and advocacy; Taria Barron, APTA general counsel; and Stacie Tiongson, APTA senior director, government affairs and advocacy.

Skoutelas informed participants that, since January 20, President Trump has issued almost 100 Executive Orders, Memoranda, and Proclamations to carry out his Administration’s policy goals and agenda. Many of these directives, together with USDOT actions, he said, directly impact the public transportation industry. For example, they pause some transportation funding; terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; impose new tariffs; and establish priorities for USDOT competitive grants.

Skoutelas said that APTA is continuing to both track and analyze the Administration’s policy announcements that directly impact the industry. APTA staff update on a daily basis the association’s Executive and Regulatory Actions Tracker, which provides real-time updates and summaries regarding the President’s Executive Orders and other Administration actions that impact the public transportation industry.

“Our mission and core values remain as important as ever, and our work to support, strengthen, and advocate for public transportation continues,” Skoutelas said.

McCarragher discussed funding, Green New Deal, DOT orders, and tariff issues that could affect the industry. Barron touched on Executive Orders that affect diversity, equity, and inclusion. Tiongson spoke about orders on immigration enforcement and the regulatory process.

View a recording of the webinar here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 19, 2025 WIPTA STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR EVERS’ EXECUTIVE BUDGET The Wisconsin Public Transportation Association (WIPTA) commends Governor Evers for his executive budget proposal, particularly as it relates to prioritizing investments in statewide public transportation funding. Public Transportation serves a vital role in Wisconsin’s communities by connecting employees to work, getting students to school, and providing trips for healthcare, shopping, and even recreation. Despite this fact, state mass transit aids are 2% less in real dollars than they were in 2012. Adjusted for inflation, that is 40% less state funding over the same period of time. The Governor’s proposed increase of 4% in each year of the biennium is important progress for our local transportation providers and additional funds for our smallest urban and rural systems is extremely important in helping them meet their needs. The Governor’s proposed increases in Paratransit Aids and Specialized Transportation Aids, which support transportation for elderly and disabled residents, are crucial for providing important transportation options that our communities demand for seniors and our most vulnerable populations. These popular programs are very expensive for local transit providers to administer and continued increases are necessary for continued service. WIPTA also recognizes Governor Evers for again proposing the creation of a Transit Capital Assistance Fund to provide ongoing assistance for capital expenses such as facility improvements and bus replacement. This provision is especially important given current uncertainty in federal funding that communities rely on. Finally, WIPTA appreciates the inclusion of language that would allow local units of government to choose to finance public transportation via a regional transit authority. We look forward to working closely with the Legislature on these proposals to invest in the transportation services provided by local government that businesses and communities desperately rely on.

Green Bay to replace 3 buses using Volkswagen settlement money

by Scott Hurley, FOX 11 News

Mon, February 10th 2025 at 10:30 AM

Updated Mon, February 10th 2025 at 1:00 PM

The Green Bay Metro Transit station, March 22, 2023. (WLUK)

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- The city of Green Bay will be getting three new buses, courtesy of fines paid by Volkswagen for cheating on emissions tests.

The Wisconsin Department of Administration announced $11.8 million in grants to four cities on Monday.

Of that, Green Bay is receiving about $3.9 million for the new buses and to scrap older models. State officials say the city planned to buy electric buses.

The city previously replaced four buses in 2020 using Volkswagen fines. Valley Transit has also used the money to replace buses in the past.

Volkswagen agreed to pay the federal government $2.9 billion after violating the Clean Air Act between 2009 and 2016. The company sold diesel engines that had software showing inaccurate nitrogen oxide emissions. Wisconsin's portion of the settlement was $67 million.

https://fox11online.com/news/local/green-bay-metro-transit-city-buses-replacement-volkswagen-clean-air-act-violations-settlement-fines

Dept. of Administration: Announces nearly $12 million in Transit Capital Assistance funds for 4 Wisconsin communities

• February 10, 2025

Home » Press Releases » Dept. of Administration: Announces nearly $12 million in Transit Capital Assistance funds for 4 Wisconsin communities

MADISON, Wis.  – The Department of Administration (DOA) today announced $11.8 million in grants to for the purchase of 15 public transit buses serving Janesville, Wausau, Green Bay, and Beloit.

The new buses will replace old, inefficient buses using funding from the State of Wisconsin Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program. The program is funded through a court settlement as a result of Volkswagen’s violation of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), rather than state tax dollars.

“We’re excited to announce the 3rd round of transit bus replacements made possible through the VW Mitigation program,” said DOA Secretary Blumenfeld. “These new, clean diesel, hybrid, and battery electric buses will not only provide reliable rides to employment and shopping for Wisconsin residents and visitors, they will also help make our communities healthier by removing older, dirtier diesel engines from operation.”

Volkswagen admitted to violating the CAA from 2009 through 2016 by selling nearly 590,000 2.0-liter and 3.0-liter diesel engine vehicles equipped with software designed to cheat on federal emission tests. Under Volkswagen’s settlement with the federal government, Wisconsin will receive $67.1 million over the ten years to offset excess pollution emitted by affected VW vehicles in the state.

Legislation from 2017 established the Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program to competitively award Volkswagen settlement funds for the purpose of replacing public transit vehicles. The program will fund the replacement of engine models from 1992-2009 for transit buses in classes 4-8, with new diesel, alternate fueled or all-electric buses. All old buses must be scrapped under the terms of the federal settlement.

A complete list of grants is below:

	Bus	Replacement	Scrapping	Total
	Replacement	Cost	Allowance	Recommended
Applicant	Request	Request	($1,500 per bus)	Grant Award
Beloit	1	$920,000.00	$1,500.00	$921,500.00
Green Bay	3	$3,900,000.00	$4,500.00	$3,904,500.00
Janesville	1	$580,000.00	$1,500.00	$581,500.00
Wausau	10	$6,400,000.00	$15,000.00	$6,415,000.00
Total	15	$11,800,000.00	$22,500.00	$11,822,500.00

Final grant amounts and specific bus replacement plans will be negotiated between DOA and the local transit systems. Additional information is available on the VW Mitigation Program website.

EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - 2024 was a banner year for Eau Claire public transit as more people ditched their cars and took the bus.

50,000 more people used public transit last year, with around 710,000 total passengers. In 2023, that number was 660,000.

2024 was a banner year for Eau Claire public transit as more people ditched their cars and took the bus.

Community services manager Ty Fadness said new bus routes helped connect more people to their destinations. He said the largest group contributing to the ridership increase were university students.

"We increased the bus service at peak times so that we're not leaving as many university students behind because sometimes the busses are so full on the university routes that there are students that have to wait for the next one," he said.

Fadness is calling 2025 'The Year of Transit' for the Eau Claire community. The division will be celebrating 50 years of operation, and finally opening the long-awaited new transit center this summer.

They will also be launching a new program called 'Micro Transit Pilot', an on-demand ride share service.

"You can either call or use an app just like Lyft or Uber, kind of those on demand services except it's public transportation so it's going be a lot more economical," Fadness said.

The service will give people more direct rides compared to a bus route. The micro transit ride share program will only service people on the north side of the city during its first year. Fadness said if the program is successful, they will expand it to other areas of the city.

The service is scheduled to launch on July 1st.

https://www.wqow.com/eye-on-eau-claire/eau-claire-public-transit-division-declares-2025-year-of-transit-with-big-projects-on-the/article_6ad77cbc-e25b-11ef-9a1a-53563b48ba36.html

RACINE, WI—Racine bus riders will soon notice the addition of poetry to the city’s public transit fleets. 

The Poetry Movement spearheaded the initiative to “build resilience and bring together the community of Racine while giving greater attention to art and creative writing.” 

According to a news release, all of the poems, which feature writers from Racine, Milwaukee, Indiana, and England, center on mental health. 

Ryde Racine will feature placards with mental-health themed poetry started Feb. 1. The verses are meant to inspire individuals to care for their mental health. / Screenshot from Ryde Racine

The entire Ryde Racine public transit fleet, which includes 39 buses and nine paratransit vans, will feature two poems starting on Feb. 1. A committee of writing faculty from area colleges combed through 80 poems submitted last fall, selecting 17 to appear on buses. 

Ryde Racine has approved the poems to be displayed on buses and will host a biannual poetry event at the transit center. Local graphic designer Amanda Gaastra handled the layout of bus signs. 

Additional funding for the project came from the Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation and the Racine Council’s ArtSeed grant, according to the news release. 

The Racine Literacy Council and NAMI Racine County each provided space for writing workshops prior to the contest deadline. Family Power Music donated sound engineering and equipment. 

Nicholas Michael Ravnikar, a writer who lives in Racine, founded the Poetry Movement with Chicago poet Ivan Ramos. The movement’s goal is to highlight the literary significance of poets and poetry circulating throughout the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.

Ravnikar launched the Bus Poems project after he hosted an open mic and performance showcase at the transit center for his public project as Racine Writer-in-Residence for ArtRoot, a local nonprofit. ArtRoot has organized Arts Mixer networking events for the Racine creative community, alongside the Wall Poems and Writer-in-Residence projects, according to the news release. 

https://racinecountyeye.com/2025/01/27/racine-buses-mental-health-poetry/

Second BRT to be built within next five years, District 8 Alder MGR says

by Patricia Clark

January 30, 2025

Mia Homan

The 80 bus parked outside of Memorial Union. January 30, 2024.

Metro Transit ridership has significantly increased since the release of the Bus Rapid Transit.

The system showed a 10% increase in overall ridership and an 18% increase in ridership on the Rapid A Route in November and December of 2024 compared to the previous year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.

District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan said increased ridership is a result of improved public transportation systems.

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“The thing we see across the country is the easier you can make it to take public transit and the safer you can make it, the more people will take it,” MGR said.

The new BRT running along Metro Rapid Route A started running August of 2024, according to previous reporting by The Badger Herald.

While the new BRT is the main contributor to the large increase in ridership, there are other variables that factor into the system’s success, MGR said.

“It’s smaller things where it’s much easier to take the buses than it was about a year ago,” MGR said. “Instead of playing around with a flimsy card to swipe on the bus, now you just have the tap cards that you can reload online, or students get them for free.”

Demand for efficient public transportation calls for more BRT lines being built. The City of Madison will have an estimated population of 80,000 by the end of 2050, MGR said.

Implementation of this new bus system was made possible by funding from a $118.1 million budget proposed in March of 2024 under the Biden Administration for the Madison area’s BTR for 2025, according to previous reporting by The Badger Herald. 

During the fall of 2024, Metro Transit made changes to their bus systems by implementing fare collection, meaning some data has not been accounted for and official numbers will be complete by mid-2025, according to the City of Madison’s website.

To help accommodate the large increase in population, the city is planning to build another BRT that runs from north to south in 2027 or 2028 depending on funding, MGR said.

https://badgerherald.com/news/madison/2025/01/30/madisons-metro-transit-shows-increase-in-ridership-since-rapid-transit-update/

Sean Duffy, President-elect Trump's pick for transportation secretary, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

We're following the confirmation hearings for the incoming Trump administration. See our full politics coverage, and follow NPR's Trump's Terms podcast or sign up for our Politics newsletter to stay up to date.

Who: Sean Duffy

Nominated for: secretary of transportation

WASHINGTON — When Republican Sean Duffy was in Congress, he worked with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to replace an 80-year-old bridge across the St. Croix River between his home state of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Trump taps Sean Duffy, Fox host and former congressman, for transportation secretary

More than a decade later, the St. Croix Crossing — and the relationships that the new bridge helped forge — came up several times Wednesday during Duffy's confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Transportation.

"When I fly into Minneapolis and drive up to Hayward, where I was born and raised, I go across that bridge," Duffy said during the hearing. "I'm proud every single time for the bipartisan work that we did together, and I would like to continue that kind of work should I be confirmed."

That project required action by Congress to grant an exemption from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Duffy's work to make that happen helped endear him to several Democrats in the Senate, including Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

"Our efforts show that when we work together, we get important things done. And we haven't always agreed," Baldwin said in remarks introducing Duffy to the committee. "But at the end of the day, I am confident that Sean is the right person for this job in this upcoming administration."

Where did the workers go? Construction jobs are plentiful, but workers are scarce

While some of President-elect Trump's cabinet nominees faced sharp questioning from Democrats on Capitol Hill this week, Duffy received an overwhelmingly friendly welcome from Baldwin and other members of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Duffy has a long record in public service, representing a district in northern Wisconsin in the House of Representatives for more than eight years. But beyond the St. Croix Crossing, he has relatively little direct experience in transportation — or leading a large organization like the DOT, which has a budget of more than $100 billion.

Sponsor Message

At the confirmation hearing, Duffy committed to prioritizing safety on the roadways and in the air, and said he would "work to reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects, ensuring funds are spent efficiently." He pledged to bring "tough love" to Boeing as regulators work to restore confidence in the struggling airplane maker. And Duffy said he would address the shortage of air traffic controllers, while hiring only "the best and the brightest" for those jobs.

After leaving Congress in 2019, Duffy worked as a lobbyist and as a contributor at Fox News. In announcing his pick, President-elect Trump praised Duffy as a "respected voice and communicator" in a post on Truth Social in November.

Trump has looked to the ranks of Fox News for many of his cabinet nominees. But few have as much experience on camera as Duffy, who starred on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" in 1997. He met his future wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, a fellow Fox News contributor, when they both starred on another MTV reality show. Campos-Duffy was on hand at Wednesday's hearing, along with eight of the couple's nine children.

Biden signs the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law

Duffy noted that roadway safety "hits close to home for me, because my wife survived a deadly head-on car crash, which has profoundly reshaped her life."

The outgoing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also had little direct experience in transportation before taking the reins. Under Buttigieg, the department has handed out billions of dollars from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build roads and bridges, dig tunnels, modernize airports and more.

Duffy was asked several times on Wednesday whether funding for those projects would continue to flow.

Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked specifically about funding for the Gateway Program, a multi-billion dollar project to replace a series of crumbling rail tunnels and bridges connecting northern New Jersey to Manhattan.

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"I want to look at what funding has gone out," Duffy said. "But I imagine those good projects that are underway, we would continue."

'Cozy' relationship between Boeing and the U.S. draws scrutiny amid 737 Max 9 mess

The Department of Transportation includes the Federal Aviation Administration, which is in charge of the nation's airspace, as well as agencies that regulate the nation's railroads, and set safety standards for passenger cars, trucks and commercial vehicles.

There are several areas where the department's broad mandate intersects with the business interests of Elon Musk, the world's richest person, who poured more than a quarter of a billion dollars into President-elect Trump's 2024 election campaign.

Now safety advocates worry that Musk may try to influence the federal agencies that regulate his businesses. His rocket company SpaceX has sometimes clashed with regulators at the FAA over its launch practices.

Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the DOT, are investigating crashes involving Tesla's advanced driver-assistance systems. And safety advocates fear the Trump administration could move to end those investigations, along with a crash reporting requirement that Tesla opposes.

Exit interview: DOT Sec. Buttigieg on infrastructure act and the road ahead

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) pressed Duffy on whether he would allow traffic safety investigators to "follow the evidence and operate objectively as part of their investigations?"

"Yes, I commit to this committee and to you that I will let NHTSA do their investigation," Duffy responded.

The nominee was asked several times about his level of commitment to Amtrak — not only by Democratic senators from New Jersey and Delaware, but also by Republicans from Kansas and Mississippi.

Duffy acknowledged voting against Amtrak funding when he was a member of Congress from rural Wisconsin. But he said "this committee has spoken loudly about Amtrak and rail in their home communities."

If he's confirmed, as appears likely, Duffy said his first trip as transportation secretary would be to the Appalachian mountain regions of Tennessee and North Carolina, where flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged major interstate highways along with countless smaller roads and bridges.

Sponsor Message

"This is an emergency," Duffy said. "I'll do everything in the power of the Department for Transportation to move the process forward as quickly as possible so these communities get access and roads that are functional again."

• 

Planning bus routes for 2025

What we know:

Riders are encouraged to provide input on how MCTS can adapt its services to better meet their changing needs. 

MCTS wants to hear from riders directly. Feedback can be submitted through an online survey, visiting RideMCTS.com/MOVE to comment on interactive maps, or by attending one of five public meetings across the county. Riders have until Feb. 10 to weigh in.

Public Meeting dates

Timeline:

1. Jan. 14 — 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Milwaukee Public Library East Branch (2320 N. Cramer St., Milwaukee) - complete
2. Jan. 16 — 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Oak Creek City Hall (8040 S. 6th St., Oak Creek)
3. Jan. 22 — 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center (5460 N. 64th St., Milwaukee)
4. Jan. 25 — 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at West Milwaukee Community Center (1345 S. 47th St., West Milwaukee)
5. Feb. 4 — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MCTS Administration Building (1942 N. 17th St., Milwaukee)

What's next:

• March – May 2025: MCTS transit planners review feedback and develop a draft plan for additional comment from riders, bus drivers and the general public. Planners prepare a final recommended plan that will be presented to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will review and request approval.
• June – August 2025: If the recommended plan is approved, MCTS promotes public awareness of the fall service changes.
• Late August 2025: The changes go live.