Milwaukee's Bus System (MCTS)

Who runs it. Milwaukee County owns the bus system. The county bought it from a private company on July 1, 1975, to keep it running. A company the county set up, Milwaukee Transport Services, runs the buses day to day under the name Milwaukee County Transit System, or MCTS. The County Board and County Executive set the budget, the fares, and which routes run.

How big it is. In 2025 MCTS ran 49 routes with 378 buses and 3,742 stops. It gave about 25 million rides, close to the 25.3 million in 2024 and up from 15.7 million in 2021.

How it is paid for. In 2025 MCTS took in about $186 million. The State of Wisconsin paid the biggest share, 38 percent. Local money, mostly from Milwaukee County's property tax and its $30 vehicle registration fee, paid 27 percent. Federal money paid 20 percent, and riders' fares paid 13 percent. Since 2024 the county has also charged an extra 0.4 percent sales tax. State law says that money goes first to county worker pensions, not buses. Pensions used to be paid from property tax, so the new tax freed up property tax money. The county's 2024 budget, the first with the new tax, put $16 million of property tax into running the buses.

What changed recently. Federal pandemic aid helped cover costs after 2020, and it ran out in 2026. MCTS cut about 15 percent of its bus service starting in August 2025. On January 1, 2026, the adult fare went from $2 to $2.75, and some routes now run less often.

What comes next. MCTS expects costs to be about $15.7 million more than its money in 2027. In October 2026 County Executive David Crowley proposed using $12.1 million from the county's savings to cover most of that. The County Board votes on the 2027 budget in November.

MCTS is also redrawing its whole bus network, a project called MCTS Forward. The plan assumes about 25 percent less bus service. In fall 2026 MCTS showed two possible networks. One aims for ridership: 21 routes, many with a bus every 15 minutes, but about 30 percent of residents would live more than half a mile from a route. The other aims for coverage: 43 routes, most running every 30 to 60 minutes, with 18 percent of residents more than half a mile away. A draft plan is expected for public comment in spring 2027, and a final plan in summer 2027.