Milwaukee County Transit System officials have proposed reducing bus service by 25% beginning in 2027.
Here’s what you need to know
The proposal, presented to the County Board’s Transportation Committee on July 15, is the result of MCTS’ long-term structural budget shortfall.
If approved, the service reductions would remain in place for three years while the agency redesigns its bus network and searches for additional funding.
Transit leaders say the cuts are intended to stabilize the system’s finances, but bus riders and county leaders believe it could have widespread consequences.
“We want our system to be stable, sustainable and scalable,” MCTS President and CEO Steve Fuentes said during the meeting. “We don’t want to come into every budget year talking about a large deficit, hoping not to have to cut service.”
Ongoing challenges for transit system
The proposal follows several years of financial strain for the transit system.
A five-year projection from the Milwaukee County Comptroller’s Office shows the county’s structural deficit will more than triple by 2031 without intervention.
MCTS is also recovering from last year’s unexpected multimillion-dollar budget deficit, rising operating costs and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds that helped sustain service.
The agency has already reduced service by about 14% since the spring of 2025. According to preliminary data presented to county supervisors, ridership has declined roughly 20% during that period.
Fuentes said additional state or federal funding could allow the county to restore service during the three-year reduction period.
“If we find new money, increased funding or dedicated funding, we can grow this system like you haven’t seen,” he told supervisors.
Transit benefits everyone
Transit officials haven’t decided whether the cuts would come through less-frequent service, fewer routes or a combination of both. Public input collected through early fall will help shape a final proposal before the County Board votes on the plan, which is expected to happen in January.
County Supervisor Justin Bielinski said the proposal would affect more than people who regularly ride the bus.
“MCTS is not only valuable for the people that ride it,” Bielinski said. “It provides employers access to employees, businesses access to customers, and reduces the number of cars that would otherwise have to be on the road.”
Bielinski pointed to research from the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission estimating that MCTS generates approximately $345 million in annual regional benefits.
He said riders have already experienced significant service losses.
“We already had to deal with about a 14 or 15% cut to service last year,” he said. “To have to bear a 25% cut in service hours again, to me, would be unacceptable.”
Bielinski noted that his district narrowly avoided losing the bus route that travels on Highway 100, also known as 108th street, during previous budget discussions.
“We were able to save it on a part-time basis and they’ve expanded some of those hours back,” he said. “You don’t want to lose any more.”
Difficult decisions
While Bielinski supports periodically reviewing the transit network to reflect changing population patterns, he said officials must carefully consider who could lose access.
“Neighborhoods change, needs change,” he said. “But any changes are going to leave somebody without a way to get to work or without a way to get to the hospital. We need to be very thoughtful so we’re not leaving out vulnerable populations.”
He also cautioned that the effects of cuts extend beyond fixed bus routes.
Because federal regulations tie paratransit service areas to existing bus routes, eliminating routes could also reduce transportation options for residents with disabilities who rely on transit vans for medical appointments, grocery shopping and other essential trips.
“Maybe you don’t ride the bus, but you get a transit van to your medical appointment,” Bielinski said. “Those things are at risk, too.”
What residents can do
Community member Yehudah Siegel said he’s already been impacted by recent transit reductions and worries that additional service cuts will affect many more residents if approved.
“One of the buses I used to take got cut back, and it no longer goes where I need it to go,” Siegel said. “These cuts are going to affect thousands of people once they go into effect.”
MCTS officials say community feedback will play a key role before a final plan is presented early next year.
Bielinski encouraged residents to participate in public engagement opportunities and contact both county supervisors and state lawmakers.
“If you’re a bus rider, make sure you’re speaking up to your county supervisor,” he said. “Contact your state legislator and tell them public transit funding matters.”
He said relatively few residents contact elected officials about major budget decisions, even though those conversations can influence policy.
He also urged residents not to view fare evasion as the primary cause of the transit system’s financial challenges.
“There was a lot of coverage last year about people not paying fares, and it has gotten better,” he said. “But the fares people pay are just a piece of it.”
Like roads, he said, public transportation depends on public investment because fare revenue covers only a portion of operating costs.
How to participate
MCTS plans to gather public feedback through early fall before developing a final service proposal. The County Board is expected to consider the plan during the 2027 budget process, with a vote anticipated in January.
Residents can share their concerns with their county supervisor and state legislators as discussions continue over both the county budget and potential changes to state transit funding.
Siegel encourages residents to not stay silent as county officials consider the proposal.
“Speak up, sign petitions, contact your local county supervisors, and show up to public budget meetings,” he said. “If we don’t speak out, decision-makers assume we’re fine with the cuts. Organizing together and making our voices heard is the only way we can protect our transit system.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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