Milwaukee Without A Car
         

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)

MCTS is the largest local transit operator in Wisconsin. It operates dozens of bus routes across Milwaukee County. They operate local and express (Freeway Flyer) routes, plus special services to Summerfest and other festivals, the Wiscopnsin State Fair, Milwaukee Brewers baseball games, Milwaukee Bucks basketball games, and much more.

MCTS also operates limited services in Ozaukee and Waukesha Counties under contract. MCTS operates the Ozaukee County Express (Route 143).

Most service operates 7 days a week, from 5 am to 1 am. Cash fare is $1.75, with discounts for pre-paid tickets, students, and seniors, and surcharges for express routes and out-of-county services. MCTS sells weekly passes (week begins on Sunday) instead of the more common monthly passes sold elsewhere.

MCTS has an excellent web site, plus telephone 24-hour recorded information, and live operators during convenient hours at the BusLine (414) 344-6711.

Connection Information

MCTS has dozens of connections to other carriers at many locations. To prevent confusion, only a limited selection are presented:

Interline Transfer Fares:

Note: The shown connections are not necessarily timed transfers, but just locations where connections are most convenient.


UW-Milwaukee

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), four miles north of downtown, is served by local MCTS routes, parking shuttles, neighborhood shuttle, freeway flyers, and a regional commuter line from Waukesha. UWM also has an active ridesharing program. Get more information here.

Waukesha Metro

Waukesha Metro operates routes in and around the City of Waukesha, plus limited services to portions of nearby WCTC, Pewaukee, UW-Waukesha, Brookfield Square, Goerke's Corners park & ride, and New Berlin industrial area. Metro operates special services for some events at the Waukesha County Fairgrounds.

Metro is owned and operated by the City of Waukesha, but constantly experiments with additional service contracts from Waukesha County. Transit routes and schedules within the City of Waukesha (routes 1-15) are consistent from year to year, but Waukesha County services (routes 101-899) tend to be short-lived and confusing due to the way Waukesha County contracts for services.

Most service operates six days a week, from 6 am to 10 pm, plus limited Sunday service. Cash fare is $1.50, with discounts for pre-paid tickets, students, and seniors. For more information on fares and schedules, call Metro at (262) 524-3636.

Metro has an excellent web site, including online schedules, system map (pdf file, 103 kb), and complete information on transit services in Waukesha County (including Coach USA and MCTS services).

Connections between services in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties can be confusing due to poor coordination between the county governments and three service providers. The map below shows the most common routes and connections. Most Waukesha Metro and MCTS routes are not shown on this map.

Connection Information

Waukesha Metro has the connections to other carriers at three locations:

Interline transfers to and from Coach USA routes 901,904,905 and MCTS route 10 are available.

Note: The shown connections are not necessarily timed transfers, but just locations where connections are most convenient.

Racine Belle Urban System

Racine BUS serves the City of Racine and eastern Racine County from a new hub downtown. Services operate 7 days a week, from 6 am to midnight weekdays, and limited service weekends. Cash fare is $1.25 with discounts for pre-paid tickets, students, and seniors.

Racine has a good system, and also a good web site. More information is available from Racine BUS at (262) 637-9000.

Connection Information

Racine BUS has connections to other carriers at four locations:

No interline transfer fares available.

Kenosha Transit

Kenosha Transit serves the City of Kenosha and eastern Kenosha County from a hub at the Kenosha Transit Center in downtown Kenosha. Kenosha is home to Wisconsin's only rail transit system: the Kenosha Streetcar. Kenosha is also the northernmost station on Metra, the Chicago commuter rail system. The METRA station is three blocks from the Transit Center. Bus cash fare is $1.00, with discounts and passes available. Service operates six days a week, daytime only. No evening or Sunday service.

The Kenosha Streetcar (Fare 25 cents) runs a 2-mile loop in downtown Kenosha, connecting the Kenosha Transit Center, Metra Station, City Center, and Harborfront development. The loop uses resored vintage PCC streetcars.

Kenosha Transit has a web site. More information is available from Kenosha Transit at 262-637-9000

Connection Information

Kenosha Transit has three main connections to other carriers:

No interline transfer fares are available.

Washington County Services

Washington County is a located northwest of Milwaukee. The southern edge is suburban, the rest is rural. The cities of West Bend and Hartford are located here.

Washington County is served by three local services:

  • Countywide Shared Ride Taxi: The countywide taxi can be used for connections to WCCE for commuters. Fare varies, based on distance. Discound fares for transfer to WCCE are available. Service is available 6 am to 10 pm, six days a week, plus limited hours on Sundays. Reservations are available at 800-925-9590. More information is available at their web site.
  • West Bend Taxi Service: The city of West Bend operates a shared-ride taxi service. Fare varies, based on distance. Service is available 6 am to 10 pm, six days a week, plus limited hours on Sundays. Reservations are available at 262-334-3096. More information is available at their web site.
  • Hartford Taxi Service: Service is available 6 am to 7 pm weekdays, plus limited hours on Saturdays (no service Sundays). Reservations are available at 262-673-8223.

Regional connections to Milwaukee are available on Washington County Commuter Express (WCCE)

Greyhound and Lamers Bus travel through Washington County between Milwaukee and Fond Du Lac, but do not stop.