Milwaukee County's East-West Bus Rapid Transit revs up June 4. What to know about the new service
A long-awaited update to Milwaukee County's buses will be launched on June 4: a new $55 million nine-mile East-West Bus Rapid Transit line.
The first BRT route in the county will be called CONNECT 1 and will let passengers ride for free for the first four months. Its creation aims in improving mobility, access to jobs and increasing ridership as the agency approaches a 2025 fiscal cliff thanks to a decline in passengers, federal pandemic aid drying up and local fiscal constraints.
The line is expected to average more than 9,500 weekday riders by 2035 and increase overall transit ridership in the East-West corridor by 17%, according to the Milwaukee County Transit System.
A mix of electric and diesel buses will be used for the new route.
"The BRT means faster commutes and a more connected county," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said during his State of the County address earlier this year.
What is the bus route and its schedule?
The route will stretch from Milwaukee's downtown to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center located in Wauwatosa along Wisconsin Avenue and Bluemound Road. There will be 33 new BRT-dedicated stations located on the route.
The line will operate from 4:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
During the daytime on weekdays, buses will arrive every 10 minutes and every 15 minutes on weekends. Evening buses will be scheduled to arrive every 20 to 30 minutes.
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Who can ride and how much will it cost?
Passengers can ride CONNECT 1 free from June 4 through Sept. 30 thanks to a sponsorship deal with Umo Mobility, the transit app contracted by MCTS for its new WisGo fare system.
After the initial free months rides will revert to the prices to use other MCTS services. To date, an adult fare costs $2 and a reduced fare costs $1 using the Umo app, a WisGo card or soon-to-be-discontinued M-Card. If paid in cash, it will cost $2.25.
MCTS bus routes updates
Milwaukee County is considering another BRT route that would stretch the North-South corridor along 27th Street.
MCTS announced earlier this year that it will provide buses to Summerfest. Two shuttles will provide rides for festivalgoers between Henry Maier Festival Park and designated park-and-ride lots.
Milwaukee County's 2023 budget season saw cuts to special bus routes and a reduction in services, with one bus serving per route on Routes 52, 92, 34 and 88.
Some changes to current bus routes include:
Waukesha Metro Route 1 will be extended from Brookfield Square to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.
GoldLine will be retired. The new CONNECT 1 route and Route 30 will take over service, and Route 21 and Waukesha Metro 1 will be adjusted to accommodate riders.
Route 30 will increase frequency by having buses arrive every 10 minutes, will stop at every BRT station on Wisconsin Avenue between Van Buren and 35th Street, and make six additional stops at Wisconsin and 32nd Street, Wisconsin and 29th Street, Wisconsin and 24th Street, Wisconsin and 22nd Street, Wisconsin and Plankinton, and Wisconsin and Jackson.
Route 14 will be split into two routes on Humboldt Blvd. and Forest Home Avenue, operating along Humboldt and intersect Wisconsin Avenue at Cass Street.
A brand new Route 24 will serve Forest Home Avenue and 16th Street between Southridge Mall and Wisconsin Avenue, and will extend north of Wisconsin Avenue to the MCTS Administration Building at 17th and Fond du Lac via 16th and 17th Streets.
An extended Route 21 will provide service on Downer Avenue between North Avenue and UW-Milwaukee.
BlueLine will be reconfigured on the southern part of the route, serving from 17th Street to Highland Avenue, Highland Avenue to 12th Street, 12th Street to Wells and Wells to 6th Street to the Intermodal Station.
Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Vanessa_Swales.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MCTS debuts Bus Rapid Transit. What to know about the service
