Like other local transportation services, FlexRide Milwaukee has taken a hit but continues to serve those it can.
Launched in 2022, FlexRide is an on-demand transportation service that provides affordable rides for Milwaukee residents who work in Franklin, Oak Creek, New Berlin or Menomonee Falls.
After serving just 11 riders in its first month, FlexRide grew to an average of about 4,000 rides per month in 2022. Today, that number is closer to 3,000 a month, according to LaShawnda Jones, assistant project manager of MobiliSE, the organization that operates FlexRide. In 2025, the program provided about 55,000 rides, she said.
“We set out to help address a real problem in the region, providing affordable and reliable transportation for Milwaukee residents working or looking to work at employers beyond the reach of transit,” said Dave Steele, executive director of MobiliSE. “We have delivered on that mission – and hope to for years to come.”
Financial changes
Achieving that mission has become more of a challenge as the financial landscape has changed since FlexRide launched.
The program initially benefited from a $4.2 million state Workforce Innovation Grant and $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds through Milwaukee County. The pandemic-era funding has now expired.
FlexRide’s primary sources of funding currently include the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Waukesha County and private-sector donors, including the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.
Steele said the program faces many of the same challenges as the Milwaukee County Transit System, including reduced service hours and difficulty maintaining enough drivers to meet demand. The program has fewer drivers because it does not have enough funding to pay for additional drivers, Steele said.
“We are serving as many people as we can,” he said.
FlexRide continues to serve the same general areas but at a more limited capacity, though demand is higher than the program can currently accommodate.
“We need public services,” Steele said. “It’s bigger than FlexRide. We need to prioritize transportation. We can’t nonprofit our way out of this problem.”
Transit advocacy
MobiliSE’s work extends beyond FlexRide. The organization describes itself first and foremost as an advocate for better public transportation.
Steele pointed to the scale of the region’s transportation needs. While FlexRide provided about 55,000 rides in 2025, MCTS provided roughly 25 million rides.
He said riders often use FlexRide for about three months before moving on, suggesting the service can help people bridge a transportation gap while they establish themselves in a new job or situation.
Steele recently started a steering committee focused on transit, with the goal of elevating the voices of transit riders.
The effort comes as MCTS faces significant financial challenges, with a proposed major reduction in service beginning in 2027. Steele said the region needs to recognize transportation as a public service rather than relying primarily on short-term grants and nonprofit programs to fill gaps.
“It is a crisis that Wisconsin’s largest transit agency is facing a 30% cut,” Steele said.
The future of FlexRide is tied to that broader question of how the region chooses to fund transportation.
Kathy Ehley, chair of MobiliSE’s board and the former mayor of Wauwatosa, has said that for FlexRide to continue to thrive, state legislators and business leaders need greater awareness of the importance of giving people multiple options to get to work.
Ehley has urged Milwaukee-area residents to consider how transportation decisions affect people who cannot or do not drive, arguing that transportation is an issue that affects everyone in the region.
“Good transportation services have a positive impact on those using them, the jobs (employers) filling positions and the region as a whole,” she said.
For now, FlexRide continues to operate, serving thousands each month while trying to balance limited resources with demand.
“We are meeting a critical need,” Jones said, adding that they’re still not able to meet demand.
For more information
FlexRide works through an app similar to Uber or Lyft. Riders pay by adding a credit or debit card to their FlexRide account. People without smartphones can request a ride by calling 414-667-7433.
Rides cost $4 or less. Service is available 24 hours a day, starting each week at 10 p.m. Sunday through 2 a.m. Saturday.
Riders can travel from one of FlexRide’s neighborhood zones to the corresponding employment zone. People do not have to live in a neighborhood zone to use the app, they just need to be in the zone when ordering a ride.
More information is available at www.flexridemke.com.
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