Milwaukee County Transit System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is the largest transit agency in Wisconsin and ranks among the top 50 transit agencies in the United States. The county-run agency was formed in 1975 after it took over the assets of the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Company, a private operator.
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[edit] Bus fleet
MCTS operates a fleet of 478 New Flyer low floor buses, 449 of them 40ft and 29 of them 30ft. It also operates 5 Gillig Advantage low floor buses dedicated to the Ozaukee County Express (route 143).
[edit] Fleet numbers
- 4000-4145: D40LF, delivered 1996; Bus 4074 was damaged in a fire in May, 2005, and is currently out of service, likely to be retired
- 4200-4208: D30LF, delivered 1998
- 4300-4389: D40LF, delivered 2000; Currently, 39 of these buses are equipped with an Automatic Passenger Counting System from a company called InfoDev
- 4400-4468: D40LF, delivered 2001
- 4500-4519: D30LF, delivered 2002
- 4600-4639: D40LF, delivered 2002
- 4700-4750: D40LF, delivered 2003
- 4800-4829: D40LF, delivered 2004
- 4900-4914: D40LF, delivered late 2004 (officially, these buses are recognized as 2005 buses, as that is when the buses were paid for)
- 5000-5008: D40LF, delivered January 2006
- 1000-1004: Gillig Advantage, delivered 2002
[edit] Current Bus routes
Most of the year, MCTS operates 56 bus routes covering about 90% of Milwaukee County and parts of Waukesha County and Ozaukee County. In addition, special routes are run for certain festivals, sports games, and other special events.
[edit] Regular Routes
These routes operate seven days a week, all year long. (Bold are routes serving Downtown Milwaukee, Italics are crosstown routes):
10: Humboldt-Wisconsin. Runs N/S, serves the North Shore suburbs of Whitefish Bay, Glendale, and Shorewood, as well as the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Riverwest, the E Side, and East Town before turning E/W, traversing the downtown via Wisconsin Avenue. The route continues W into the suburbs of Wauwatosa, Elm Grove and Brookfield, terminating at the Brookfield Square mall.
11: Vliet-Howell. Runs mainly E/W on Vliet Street through the W Side, through downtown, then N/S along Howell Ave to the S Side.
12: Teutonia-Hampton. Runs mainly N/S on Teutonia Avenue and 12th Street, before turning E/W onto Wisconsin Avenue into downtown. The route branches at Teutonia and Hampton, with one branch operating E/W along Hampton to 92nd, and the other operating N/S via Teutonia (and 43rd, depending on the time of the day) to north of Brown Deer Road.
14: Holton-Forest Home. Runs N/S on Holton Street through the E Side, and Milwaukee Street/1st Street downtown, turns E/W on Mitchell Street on the S Side, then proceeds SW/NE along Forest Home Avenue. One branch continues to 76th, and south to Southridge Mall, while the other operates N/S on 43rd to Howard, and E/W on Howard to 92nd.
15: Oakland-Kinnickinnic. Runs N/S. From the N, this route begins at Bayshore Mall in Glendale and serves the suburbs of Whitefish Bay and Shorewood and a significant portion of the E Side neighborhood (along both Oakland Avenue and Brady Street) before using Water Street to head downtown. Route 15 also serves the Third Ward, Walker's Point, and Bay View neighborhoods to the S via 1st Street and Kinnickinnic Avenue. On the south side, route 15 has three primary branches: Drexel via 15th operates N/S via Clement, E/W via Howard, N/S via Pennsylvania, E/W via College, and N/S via 15th Avenue (South Milwaukee) to the terminus at Drexel and Chicago Avenues; Drexel via Chicago operates via Kinnickinnic and N/S on Packard, which runs into Chicago Avenue, to the Drexel and Chicago terminus; Columbia via 5th runs similar to the Drexel via Chicago branch, except that it runs a one-way loop east on Madison to 5th Avenue (South Milwaukee), south on 5th to Columbia, west on Columbia to Chicago, and north to the terminus.
17: Canal Street. Runs E/W along Canal Street, from near Miller Park to 6th Street, turns N/S on 6th Street to Kilbourn Avenue, E to Water Street, S to Michigan Street, and W back to 6th Street, heading back towards Canal Street.
18: National-Greenfield. Runs E/W along National Avenue/Greenfield Avenue, turning N/S towards downtown at 2nd Street. Loops around Plankinton Avenue/2nd Street downtown, before turning back.
19: ML King-S 13th Street. Runs mainly N/S along Atkinson Avenue and MLK Drive on the N Side, through downtown, to Greenfield Avenue. At this point, 1 branch heads N/S down S 13th Street to College Avenue, the other branch heads E/W along Greenfield Avenue to West Milwaukee.
20: S 16th-S 20th Street. Runs N/S along 20th Street, from College Avenue to Windlake Avenue, follows Windlake Avenue to 16th Street, then heads N/S along 16th Street to Wisconsin Avenue. Then heads E/W into downtown.
21: North Avenue. Runs E/W along North Avenue, from Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, to Lake Drive on the E Side. During the non-summer months (generally late August/early September to mid June), route 21 provides weekday-only service to the UWM campus, via Downer Avenue.
22: Center Street. Runs E/W along Center Street, from 60th Street at the Milwaukee/Wauwatosa border, to Humboldt, where it heads 2 blocks north to Locust Street, then follows Locust Street E/W to Lake Drive on the E Side.
23: Fond du Lac Avenue. Serves the far NW Side, heading generally NW/SE along Fond du Lac Avenue to 16th/17th Street. Follows the 1-way 16th/17th Street route to Wisconsin Avenue, turns E/W through downtown. On the Northwest side, route 23 operates two branches. One runs N/S on 60th and 64th Streets to Mill Road, then E/W on Mill Road to 107th & Fond du Lac; the other runs E/W on Congress Street, and N/S on 92nd and 91st Streets to Granville & Calumet. On weekdays during morning rush hours, and from the afternoon rush hour until late evening, the Congress/91st branch loops through the Bradley Woods business park along Calumet, 81st, Bradley Road, and other local streets. On weekdays during AM and PM rush hours, the Mill Road branch loops through the Park Place office park area north of 107th & Fond du Lac.
27: 27th Street. Runs N/S along 27th Street, from Hampton Avenue on the N to just past College Avenue on the S.
28: 108th Street. Runs N/S along 108th Street/Mayfair Road, from Silver Spring Drive on the N, to past Layton Avenue on the S.
30: Sherman-Wisconsin. Runs N/S on the E Side, service begins at the UWM campus, uses the Prospect and Farwell Avenue corridors through the E Side neighborhood, and turns E/W downtown on Wisconsin Avenue, before turning N/S on 35th Street, looping around Washington Park, then to Sherman Boulevard. Continues up Sherman Boulevard and splits; one goes all the way to Florist Street on the far N Side; the other route goes west on Keefe Avenue to Appleton Avenue. This is the most heavily used public bus route in the city of Milwaukee as evidenced by the number of trips in its schedule.
31: State-Highland. Runs E/W. 1 branch from Mayfair Mall uses North Avenue/Ludington Avenue/Milwaukee Avenue/Washington Boulevard/Juneau Avenue, the other from the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center uses Watertown Plank Road/State Street. Both join at 37th Street, and head E/W on Highland Boulevard, to 12th Street, down to Wisconsin Avenue, heading E/W through downtown.
35: 35th Street. Runs N/S on 35th Street, from Villard Avenue on the N to Howard Avenue on the S. Weekday service operates along Loomis Road to Southridge Mall.
51: Oklahoma Avenue. Runs E/W on Oklahoma Avenue, from 123rd Street in West Allis, to Lake Drive on the S Side.
53: Lincoln Avenue. Runs E/W on Lincoln Avenue, from 114th Street in West Allis, to Bay Street on the S Side, then heads N/S to Oklahoma Avenue.
54: Mitchell-Burnham. Runs E/W along Mitchell Street, from 1st Street to 24th Street, then heads N/S to Burnham Street, then heads E/W to 66th Street, then heads NE/SW along National Avenue, to 92nd Street. Weekday service N/S on Kinnickinnic Avenue, E/W on Becher, and N/S on 1st Street to Chase & Rosedale began in August 2006.
55: Layton Avenue. Runs generally E/W along Layton Avenue, from Lake Drive to 76th Street.
57: Walnut-92nd. Runs N/S along N 92nd Street, from Glendale Avenue to Center Street, heads E/W on Center Street to N 60th Street, then heads SE/NW along Lisbon Avenue, until Lisbon Avenue becomes Walnut Street, continues E/W along to Water Street, then heads N/S to Michigan, and E/W on Michigan, terminating at the Milwaukee Amtrak Station at 5th & St. Paul.
60: Burleigh Street. Runs E/W along Burleigh Street, from 124th Street in Wauwatosa to Humboldt Boulevard in the Riverwest Area. During the non-summer months, the route provides weekday-only service the UWM campus on the E Side via Locust Street.
62: Capitol Drive. Runs E/W along Capitol Drive, from 124th Street in Brookfield, to Downer Avenue in Shorewood, before heading S to loop around the UWM campus.
63: Silver Spring Drive. Runs E/W along Silver Spring Drive, from Lovers Lane Road on the NW Side to Bayshore mall in Glendale.
64: S 60th Street. Runs N/S along Hawley Road, from Vliet Street on the W Side, until Hawley Road becomes 60th Street, continuing to Grange Avenue in Greendale.
67: N 76th-S 84th. Runs N/S from Brown Deer Road on the far NW Side, to Howard Avenue on the S Side. The route branches in Wauwatosa, with buses using either 84th Street or 92nd Street to get to Howard Avenue.
68: Port Washington. Runs N/S along Port Washington Road, from Brown Deer Road in Bayside, to Keefe Avenue on the E Side.
76: N 60th-S 70th. Runs mainly N/S, from Southridge Mall in Greendale, via either 76th Street or 68th Street to Blue Mound Road, where both branches converge. Then the route continues N/S on 68th to Milwaukee Avenue (Vliet Street), then N/S on 60th Street to Bradley Road. Half the trips operate to Brown Deer Road on the far NW Side, and continue E/W on Brown Deer Road to 96th Street.
80: 6th Street. Runs E/W along Villard Avenue on the far N Side, to Green Bay Road, heads N/S on Green Bay Road until 7th/8th Streets (N on 7th, S on 8th). A branch of the route starts at 35th & Capitol, and operates NW/SE on Hopkins, and E/W on Locust to 7th/8th Streets. Both branches then run N/S on 6th Street, through downtown, to Layton Avenue, with half of the weekday trips continuing on to General Mitchell International Airport and the MATC campus on College Avenue on the far S Side. Limited weekday service is provided south of MATC to Oak Creek. On weekends, all trips end at the airport on the S Side.
[edit] Freeway Flyer Routes
These routes operate weekdays during the rush hour periods, connecting outlying areas (mostly using Park & Ride lots) to downtown Milwaukee. Three routes (noted in bold) also operate hourly service during the middays on weekdays, a service added for the Marquette Interchange reconstruction project. Passengers riding freeway flyers must pay a premium fare, which is generally the regular fare plus 50 cents.
39: Timmerman Flyer. Runs from the Timmerman Field Park & Ride lot on Appleton Avenue, just south of Silver Spring Drive, making limited stops along Appleton and Lisbon Avenues to the US-41 freeway, and via US-41 and I-94 into downtown Milwaukee. NOTE: During the Marquette Interchange construction project, route 39 operates only on US-41 to Wisconsin Avenue, then nonstop along Wisconsin Avenue from 45th Street to 16th Street, where the route then operates locally to the Downtown Transit Center, east of Cass Street.
40: Holt-College Flyer. Runs from the Ryan Road, College Avenue, and Holt Avenue Park & Ride Lots (each of which is just off of I-94) to downtown Milwaukee via I-94 and I-794. NOTE: During the Marquette Interchange construction project, route 40 buses run E/W on Becher Street to connect from I-94 to I-794, due to ramp closures downtown. Midday service provided between downtown and the Holt Avenue Park & Ride Lot only.
43: Whitnall Flyer. Runs from 84th & Forest Home SW/NE on Forest Home, E/W on Grange, and N/S on 108th Street to the Whitnall Park & Ride Lot in Hales Corners. The route then runs via I-894, I-94, and I-794 to downtown Milwaukee. Note: During the Marquette Interchange construction project, buses travel north on I-894 to the Zoo Interchange, then east on I-94; normal operation is for the route to travel east on I-894 to I-94 just north of the Airport, then north into downtown.
44: Fair Park-National Flyer. Runs from 102nd & Lincoln, E/W on Lincoln, N/S on 108th, E/W on Cleveland, NE/SW on National Avenue and N/S on 84th. Eastbound buses operate N on 84th to Kearney, and E on Kearney to the Wisconsin State Fair Park Park & Ride Lot. Buses then operate east to 68th Street, and via I-94 to downtown. Westbound buses operate via I-94 to 68th Street, then W via O'Connor, S on 76th to the Fair Park Park & Ride Lot, continuing S on 76th to Greenfield, and W on Greenfield to 84th. Midday service provided between downtown and the Fair Park Park & Ride Lot only.
45: Watertown Plank Flyer. Runs from the Watertown Plank Road Park & Ride Lot near US-45 and Watertown Plank Road, and operates via US-45 and I-94 to downtown Milwaukee.
46: Loomis-Southridge Flyer. Runs from the Southridge Park & Ride Lot near Southridge Mall, via 76th Street to I-894. The route makes a stop at the Loomis Road Park & Ride lot off of I-894 south of 38th & Loomis, then operates via I-894, I-94, and I-794 to downtown Milwaukee. NOTE: During the Marquette Interchange construction project, route 46 buses run E/W on Becher Street to connect from I-94 to I-794, due to ramp closures downtown.
47: 27th-College Flyer. Runs from 20th & College, E/W via College, N/S via 27th, and E/W via Layton to I-94, then via I-94 and I-794 to downtown Milwaukee. NOTE: During the Marquette Interchange construction project, route 47 buses run E/W on Becher Street to connect from I-94 to I-794, due to ramp closures downtown.
48: South Shore Flyer. Runs from Howell & Ryan Road (Highway 100), E/W on Highway 100 to Chicago Road/Chicago Avenue, N/S on Chicago (South Milwaukee) and Packard (Cudahy) Avenues to Lake Drive, NE/SW on Lake Drive to Oklahoma Avenue, and E/W on Oklahoma to the Lake Parkway (SR-794). The route then operates via SR-794/I-794 to downtown Milwaukee.
49: Brown Deer-North Shore Flyer. Runs from the Green Bay Road (at Brown Deer & Green Bay Roads), Brown Deer East (at Brown Deer Road & I-43), and Northshore (at Silver Spring Drive & Port Washington Road, near I-43) Park & Ride lots. The route then operates south via I-43 to downtown Milwaukee. Midday service provided between downtown and the Northshore Park & Ride lot only.
79: Menomonee Falls Flyer. Runs from the Menomonee Falls Park & Ride lot (near US-45 at Pilgrim Road in Menomonee Falls), S on Pilgrim, W on Main Street, SE on Appleton Avenue, and E on Good Hope Road to the Good Hope Park & Ride Lot (at Good Hope & US-45). The route then runs via US-45 and I-94 to downtown Milwaukee. This service is funded by Waukesha County, but operates as a regular MCTS route. Fare on this route is regular fare plus 85 cents (or premium fare plus 35 cents).
[edit] Downtown routings
- Routes 40, 43, 46, 47, 48
- AM trips operate west on Wisconsin Avenue from Cass Street to 10th Street, north to Wells, and east to 8th.
- PM trips originate at 8th & Wells (route 48 buses originate on 9th Street, north of Wells), and operate south on 8th, and east on Wisconsin
- Midday route 40 trips use PM stops (eastbound on Wisconsin Avenue)
- Routes 39, 44, 45, and 79
- AM trips operate east on Wisconsin Avenue from 16th Street to Cass Street
- PM trips originate at the Downtown Transit Center (on Michigan Street, east of Cass), and operate west on Michigan to Cass, north to Wisconsin Avenue and west to 16th. Route 39 operates nonstop on Wisconsin to 45th, and north on US-41; routes 44, 45, and 79 operate nonstop via Wisconsin, 20th, Clybourn, 27th, and St. Paul to I-94
- Midday route 44 trips use PM stops (westbound on Wisconsin Avenue)
- Route 49
- All trips operate from 6th & Kilbourn, east on Kilbourn, south on Prospect, west on Wisconsin, north on 10th, east on Wells, and north on 6th.
- Prior to the Marquette Interchange project, AM buses operated via I-43 to 11th & Wells, then E on Wells, S on 2nd, E on Wisconsin, N on Prospect, and W on Kilbourn to 6th & Kilbourn.
[edit] Ozaukee County
143: Ozaukee County Express. Serves two main purposes: the peak direction commute from Ozaukee County to downtown Milwaukee, and the reverse commute from Milwaukee to businesses and industrial parks in Ozaukee County. Route 143 offers service between the Ozaukee County municipalities of Port Washington, Fredonia, Grafton, Cedarburg, and Mequon and downtown Milwaukee and the near south side. Many trips operate to/from 6th & Mitchell, though some start (or end) downtown. The Ozaukee County Express is the only route on which the five Gillig Advantage buses operate. However, if one of the Gilligs is out of service for maintenance, a regular MCTS D40LF will operate in its place.
[edit] School-day routes
These routes operate to certain elementary, middle, and high schools in Milwaukee County. In addition to the routes listed here, certain regular routes have dedicated trips to and from some schools in the area. Service on these routes operates on school days only, and is scheduled to meet school start and finish times. Public schools within the City of Milwaukee are run by Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), and other municipalities within Milwaukee County have their own school districts.
4AH: 35th-Forest Home. Several branches of this route exist, running from Atkinson Avenue on the north side of Milwaukee, via Center Street or North Avenue to 35th Street, then south to Clybourn Street. The route then runs express (no stops) via 35th, Forest Home, and Morgan to Hamilton High School (MPS). Afternoon service on the route has an additional branch via 60th to Vliet, east to 35th, north to Capitol, and east to Atkinson.
4BV: Burleigh-Bay View. This route begins at 35th & Burleigh, and operates E/W to 7th/8th, S on 8th (N on 7th), to Halyard and 6th, and S on 6th to Lapham, east to 1st, and south via 1st, Kinnickinnic, and Howell to Bay View High School (MPS). PM service has several branches, including a return trip to 35th & Burleigh, and trips that operate via routes 12, 15, 23, and 30 to the north side of Milwaukee. Due to problems with students causing trouble downtown (including fighting with students from other schools), PM buses operate on the freeway via I-94 and I-43 until the buses get north of downtown, then exit the freeway and resume local service.
50: Morgan Avenue. Runs along E/W Morgan Avenue, from 96th & Beloit to 6th & Holt, then E/W on Holt, N/S on Chase/Howell, E/W on Howard, N on Iowa, E on St. Francis, S on Kinnickinnic, and W on Howard. This route primarily serves Hamilton High School (MPS), but can also be convenient for students of Bell Middle School (MPS) and Thomas More High School (private). Formerly an all-day route, cut in 2003 to school day-only service due to budget restrictions.
59: Mill Road. In reality, route 59 is two separate routes combined under one number. This route serves Madison High School and Custer High School (both MPS). The Madison High School bus operates from Sherman (43rd) & Mill via Mill, Teutonia, Portage, 43rd, Green Tree, 60th, Mill, 76th, and Florist. The Custer High School bus has the same routing, up to 60th & Mill, and then runs east on Mill to Sherman, and south to Custer High School.
61: Hampton-107th. This route operates a two-way loop along Florist, 68th, Hampton, 107th, Silver Spring, and 91st, serving Madison High School (west of 76th & Florist). AM and PM buses operate both ways along the loop.
85: Whitman-West. This route serves Whitman Middle School and West High School, both of which are within a block of each other near 113th & Center Street in Wauwatosa, WI. These schools are a part of the Wauwatosa School District. Route 85 serves these schools from the north and the south. From the north, the route starts at 100th & Capitol, and operates via 100th, Hampton (with a loop to 118th & Courtland), Lovers Lane, Mayfair Road (108th Street) and Center Street. From the south, buses start at 84th & Blue Mound, and run via Blue Mound, 115th, Watertown Plank, 124th, and Center Street.
87: Nathan Hale. Serves Nathan Hale High School in West Allis, as well as West Allis Central High School and Frank Lloyd Wright Middle School. Operates from National & Wollmer SE on Wollmer, N on 108th, NE on National, E on Cleveland, S on 92nd, E on Oklahoma, N on 84th, and W on Lincoln to Nathan Hale (near 116th & Lincoln). PM service operates in reverse, except the bus continues SW on National to Wollmer.
88: Cudahy. Operates in a loop around Cudahy, serving Cudahy Middle School and Cudahy High School.
89: St. Francis. Operates in a loop through St. Francis, serving St. Francis High School, Deer Creek Grade School, and Willow Glen Grade School.
[edit] UBUS routes
Three UBUS routes serve the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) from different parts of Milwaukee County. These routes operate similar to Freeway Flyer routes, except that they serve the UWM campus instead of downtown Milwaukee (and they do not require a 50-cent surcharge to ride). They operate all day long during the UWM school year, are scheduled to meet most class start and end times, and run a special schedule during exam week. Summer service is dependent on available funding. Route 16 (now route 44U) operated during summer 2005, however no UBUS service operated during summer 2006.
Service is generally every half hour during the daytime (until 5:30 p.m.). At peak times, extra trips may run.
40U: Holt-College UBUS. Serves the College Avenue Park & Ride Lot (the UBUS lot is in a separate location from the downtown route 40 lot; the UBUS lot is on the southwest corner of the I-94/College Avenue intersection, whereas the downtown lot is on the northeast corner) and Holt Avenue Park & Ride Lot (the same as route 40). The route then operates via I-94 and I-43, Locust Street, and Oakland Avenue to UWM, circling via Hartford, Downer, and Kenwood to the layover in front of the UWM Union.
44U: Fair Park-Whitnall UBUS. Formerly route 16: South 108th Street, this route was changed to route 44U in December, 2005, to be more consistent with the other UBUS route names and numbers. This route serves the Whitnall Park & Ride Lot in Hales Corners, then operates N/S on 108th Street, and E/W on Greenfield to 84th. Eastbound buses operate N on 84th, E on Kearney to the Fair Park Park & Ride, then E to 68th, and E via I-94. Westbound buses exit I-94 at 68th Street, and operate W to 76th, S past the Fair Park Park & Ride Lot to Greenfield, and W on Greenfield. Buses operate via I-94, I-794, and Lincoln Memorial Drive to Kenwood Boulevard, and W to the layover in front of the UWM Union. Buses return via Kenwood, Oakland, Hartford, Downer, and Kenwood to Lincoln Memorial Drive. NOTE: Until May 2005, route 16 buses operated via I-94 and I-43 to Locust Street, and served UWM with the same routing as used by route 40U. However, due to Marquette Interchange construction, the route was shifted to Lincoln Memorial Drive to alleviate delays encountered by buses using the EB 94 to NB 43 ramp. Officially, the Lincoln Memorial Drive routing is considered a detour.
49U: Brown Deer UBUS. Serves the Green Bay Road Park & Ride Lot and the Brown Deer East Park & Ride Lot, then operates via I-43 to Capitol Drive, E/W to Oakland, N/S to Hartford (with no stops on Capitol or Oakland), and E on Hartford and S on Downer to the layover on the eastern edge of campus. Return trips operate via Downer, Kenwood, and Oakland.
[edit] Other limited services
These routes generally operate to business or industrial parks that are not served by regular routes.
8: Quad/Graphics Sussex/Pewaukee. Serves the Quad/Graphics plants in Pewaukee and Sussex. The route starts at Kinnickinnic & Mitchell, and operates through to the northwest side of Milwaukee, connecting with many major routes along the way. The route runs seven days per week, and offers two trips per day. These trips are scheduled to meet Quad's 7:00 shift change time (the company has 12-hour shifts, that change at 7:00 a.m. and PM). A similar service, route 6: Quad/Graphics West Allis/New Berlin, serving other Quad/Graphics plants, was discontinued at the end of 2004.
9: Menomonee Falls-Butler. Serves various businesses in the Menomonee Falls and Butler areas along its route between 124th & Capitol (connecting with route 62) and Lovers Lane & Silver Spring (connecting with routes 28 and 63). This route offers service during weekday rush hours only.
137: House of Correction. Serves the Milwaukee County House of Correction on the far south side of Milwaukee County (near 68th & Ryan Road). The route operates three trips, on Saturdays only, to bring visitors to the facility. The route originates downtown, providing convenient connections with many routes.
219: Oak Creek Shuttle. Serves an industrial park in the Oak Creek area, and offers a connection with route 19 at 13th & Zellman Court. This route offers service during weekday rush hours only.
[edit] Special services
[edit] Baseball games
90: Miller Park. Serves Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. The route operates along Wisconsin Avenue from the Downtown Transit Center, west to 37th Street. Service runs game days only, starting approximately 2 hours before game time, up until the game starts. Return service is on a "load and go" basis, generally running from the 7th inning until the stadium is empty following the end of the game.
On certain days, when high attendance is anticipated (such as opening day), MCTS will operate a shuttle service between the State Fair Park Park & Ride Lot and Miller Park.
[edit] Basketball games
49: Northshore. Serves the Bradley Center for Milwaukee Bucks home games, from the Brown Deer East and Northshore Park & Ride lots.
[edit] Summerfest
Summerfest, which calls itself the "World's Largest Music Festival," runs for 11 days in early Summer (late June to early July). MCTS provides lots of service to this festival, and it is not uncommon for 1/4 to 1/3 of the fleet to be in use just for Summerfest service. Service to the festival is provided with downtown shuttles and freeway flyers, which operate frequently from about 11:00 a.m. until the festival closes, each night of the fest. Some of the Summerfest freeway flyers serve different Park & Ride lots than do the regular rush-hour flyers with the same number.
Downtown Shuttle. Internally referred to as route 7, the downtown shuttle operates along Wisconsin Avenue between 10th Street and Jackson Street, before turning south to the Henry Maier Festival Park.
39: Timmerman Flyer. Serves Timmerman Field Park & Ride Lot and Appleton Avenue (same stops as route 39).
40: College Avenue Flyer. Serves the College Avenue Park & Ride Lot.
41: Ryan Flyer. Serves the Ryan Road Park & Ride Lot.
42: Northshore Flyer. Serves the Northshore Park & Ride Lot.
43: Whitnall Flyer. Serves the Whitnall Park & Ride Lot.
44: Fair Park Flyer. Serves the State Fair Park Park & Ride Lot.
45: Watertown Plank Flyer. Serves the Watertown Plank Road Park & Ride Lot.
46: Southridge Flyer. Serves the Southridge Mall Park & Ride Lot.
47: Holt-Loomis Flyer. Serves the Holt Avenue Park & Ride Lot and the Loomis Road Park & Ride Lot.
49: Brown Deer-Green Bay. Serves the Brown Deer East Park & Ride Lot and the Green Bay Road Park & Ride Lot.
143: Ozaukee County Express. Serves the Port Washington, Grafton, and Cedarburg Park & Ride Lots.
[edit] Wisconsin State Fair
MCTS provides service to the State Fair during all days of the fair (which is 11 days long, in early August). Service includes a shuttle from Watertown Plank Park & Ride Lot (route 45), and freeway flyers from different Park & Ride lots across the county. Provided there is no conflict with the Milwaukee Brewers, a shuttle to Miller Park (route 82) is also operated.
[edit] Ethnic Festivals
MCTS also operates shuttle during the many Ethnic Festivals held at the Henry Maier Festival Park. Festa Italiana, German Fest, and Irish Fest also have Freeway Flyer service (though not as extensive as that to Summerfest) available.
[edit] Past bus routes
Over the years, some bus routes have disappeared due to low ridership and/or funding cuts. Among those include:
- 1: Metrolink Northwest Express. The Metrolink service was the highly successful implementation of all-day express service along the Northwest Corridor (Fond du Lac Avenue). Service began on January 12, 1992, replacing the rush-hour-only route 23X as well as a shuttle route on the northwest side. Route 1 operated seven days a week from the now-defunct Northridge Mall, N/S on 76th, and SE/NW on Fond du Lac Avenue, making stops at major intersections and transfer points. From Fond du Lac & Walnut, eastbound buses operated a short distance on I-43 to 11th & Wells, and E/W on Wisconsin Avenue to the Downtown Transit Center (westbound buses operated N on 12th Street to Walnut, and then NW on Fond du Lac Avenue). Route 1 was popular with passengers due to its limited stops, which offered great time savings over route 23 when heading to/from downtown. The main route to Northridge was supplemented with weekday rush-hour service along the Congress/91st and 64th/Mill branches (see route 23). Unfortunately, due to massive budget cuts, route 1 was discontinued in December, 2002, despite the route's high ridership. The primary reason for the loss of route 1 was that it "duplicated" routes 23 and 67 most of the way.
- 101: Metrolink Park Place-Silver Mill Shuttle. Concurrent with the introduction of route 1 was the introduction of several shuttle routes on the Northwest side, most of which came together at the Mill Road Transit Center on 76th & Mill Road. Route 101 connected the Silver Mill shopping center (north of Teutonia & Florist) with the Mill Road Transit Center and the Park Place business park, operating (roughly) along Florist, 43rd, Mill Road, Fond du Lac, and 107th. Route 101 would later be extended north on 107th to Granville Road, with the elimination of route 104 in 2002. However, route 101 would be discontinued in March, 2004, with the Park Place end of the route replaced with a rush-hour extension of route 23.
- 102: Metrolink West Loop. Route 102 operated from the Mill Road Transit Center to the Bradley Woods industrial park area from January, 1992, until the route was replaced with a rush-hour extension of route 23 in March, 2004.
- 13: Michigan-St.Paul. From 42nd & St.Paul Ave, east to Downtown, traveling on Michigan St. east of the Amtrak station. Once a very busy trackless trolley route, ridership dropped after I-94 was built, and most of the route served only an industrial area, with little access for pedestrians. Initially cut-back to a shuttle running from 27th & Wisconsin to 42nd Street, it was eventually eliminated.
- 24: Humboldt. Until 1978, there was no north-south service between Holton and the Milwaukee River. Route 24 traveled from Bayshore to Cass-Wisconsin. By 1983 it was absorbed into route 31. Eventually route 31 was cut-back to the Downtown Transit Center, and route 10 began serving this branch.
- 52: Clement. Traveled on Clement between Howard and Pryor, originally feeding the route 15 streetcar line. Eventually was absorbed as a branch of route 15.
- 65: West Allis. The first route 65 was a big loop around West Allis using Lincoln, 60th, and National Avenue, with a diversion off National at 69th/70th streets to connect with other routes at 70th & Greenfield. That version of the route was eliminated in 1973 when numerous routes in West Allis were streamlined. The route number was revived as a designation for the shuttle route that replaced the West Allis branch of route 10. Eventually the route was eliminated.
- 66: Kinninickink. Ran express from 2nd & Wisconsin along S. 2nd and Kininickink to Pryor Ave, and then provided local service to St. Francis, Cudahy, and South Milwaukee, including a couple of loops. Was replaced by route 15 service in the early 80's.
- 71: State. From the County grounds in Wauwatosa to Broadway & Clybourn downtown, mostly on State St., but using Highland eastbound from 35th to 6th, and Kilbourn from 6th to Broadway. Replaced by a branch of route 31.
- 73: Keefe-Adrdmore. From the "North Side Station" at Keefe-Atkinson-Green Bay, via Keefe, crossing the river at Capitol Drive, and using Wison and Ardmore to Hampton, and back to Santa Monica. Service hours were cut-back in the '70s, and eventually the route was cut-back to just a stub on Keefe before being eliminated. For many years, the route was actually through-routed with the Hampton branch of route 58, which was also eliminated.
- 75: Greenfield. From 70th & Greenfield to 124th & Greenfield. Originally established when route 18 was a streetcar, the route was eliminated in the mid '70s when someone figured-out that route 18 could be through-routed after being a motor bus for more than a decade.
- 77: Hawley. From 60th & Greenfield to Hawley & Wells. Eliminated with the reroutings of buses in the West Allis area in the early '70s.
- 82: Adler-Stevenson. Originally established in 1951 to replace rail service eliminated with the abandoment of the Rapid Transit line, it connected with route 10's West Allis branch at 67th & Fairview, and snaked through residential neighborhoods to 100th & Schlinger Avenue. Cut back to rush-hour service only in the late '70s, and eliminated in 1983 when north-south service was established on 76th St (route 76), and 92nd St (route 67).
[edit] Other transit services
MCTS is also part of the Southeast Wisconsin Transit Systems, a joint-venture transit agency that also includes Waukesha Metro Transit System and Wisconsin Coach Lines in Waukesha, Washington County Commuter Express in Richfield, Belle Urban System in Racine and Kenosha Transit in Kenosha.
[edit] Future Projects
MCTS is currently involved with various groups that are studying plans for a proposed rapid transit service called The Milwaukee Connector. The project would provide quicker and improved service between downtown Milwaukee and outlying areas.
