Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is in phase two of its most expansive redesign in decades.

The redesign, called MCTS Next, aims to create more high frequency routes throughout Milwaukee County. High frequency means buses coming every 15 minutes or less according to MCTS integrated marketing manager Matthew Sliker. “Currently, if we’re being honest, in our network some buses come every 30 or 45 minutes,” he said.

Right now, about 40% of MCTS routes run at high frequency. Two redesign options were presented at a Thursday night open house event at the Milwaukee Fire Department Engine 6 on the East Side. One included 60% high frequency routes. The other had 80% high frequency.

× Expand Two proposed MCTS route redesigns. The left includes 60% high frequency routes. The right includes 80%.

Because MCTS Next is operating under the assumption that the transit system’s budget will not increase, tradeoffs have to be made according to Sliker. MCTS is proposing slight drops in coverage area in favor of higher frequency. “You can have a wider coverage area with a lower amount of high frequency routes, which is kind of where we’re at right now,” he said. “Or you can have more high frequency routes with a slightly smaller coverage area.”

At Thursday’s open house, a couple dozen people packed into the fire station to find out more about the redesign. Some had concerns about stops being cut. One woman said she may have to quit her job if the redesign is implemented as currently proposed.

Getting feedback and educating people about the proposed route changes is the main reason for holding the open houses. “That’s kind of the big thing,” Sliker said. “Just getting people to recognize that there has to be some kind of tradeoff, which is not a bad thing necessarily. In this whole process, it’s just really important that we get as much feedback as we can. We’re trying to find the best way to use the current budget to make the whole system better.”

MCTS planners will take the feedback given at the open houses, online and on social media to help inform the final proposal, which will be unveiled in the first few months of 2019. The final proposal will be open to one more round of public comments before being presented to the County Board, which will approve the redesign or suggest changes. If approved, changes would go into effect in 2020.

There will be a virtual open house on Thursday, Dec. 13 from noon-1 p.m., which will be a webinar that people can watch live. You can register here.