﻿

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – City of La Crosse residents rode the public transit system over a million times in 2017. The city’s transit management says they’re looking to expand on that even further. Their latest additions include new routes servicing the south side and plans for four new buses over the next several years.

“Within a short time frame of only three weeks, we saw over 800 people ride that Circulator route,” Transit Manager Adam Lorentz said.

One of the MTU’s biggest advocates is also a frequent user himself.

“I would say on average it’s probably a couple times a week,” La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat said.

For some it might be an odd sight to see the mayor riding the bus to work, but Mayor Kabat says it something he’s done for a long time.

“For me it’s not anything out of the ordinary, Mayor Kabat said. “People are a little bit surprised, but in my view, I mean as an adult I’ve ridden the bus no matter where I’ve lived.”

The mayor thinks with a change of mind, the city could double their ridership.

“Some of it is that perception like only people that don’t have a choice or don’t have a car have to ride the bus,” he said. “They don’t realize that we have such a convenient and accessible service.”

Kabat said the city wants to garner more participation in discount passes for large employers. There’s also technology changes on the horizon. Transit management said they will be implementing Automatic Vehicle Location so riders can track a bus in real time via smartphone, much like ride share apps such as Uber and Lyft.

The city will hold an informational open house at Grand River Station in early November. Information on bus routes and fares can be found at the City of La Crosse’s website.