MCTS Ending Giveaway of New Fare Cards

WisGo message on MCTS validator – WisGo goes live officially on April 1, 2023. Anyone can pick up a free WisGo card now through June 30, 2023. Image from MCTS.

Bus riders interested in getting a free WisGo card to replace their M-Card need to act fast. Riders need to use the new card or smartphone application to take advantage of the fare capping system.

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) has been providing free WisGo cards to riders as part of its transition to a new fare system. But it will shortly begin charging for the cards.

There are more than 65 brick-and-mortar locations around the county to purchase or, through June 30, freely receive a WisGo card. These include various grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations.

The new fare system went into service in April, following a nearly year-long rollout that began with the launch of the mobile app in spring 2022. Since then, the new Umo app has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, according to MCTS.

The fare system is hosted by the mobile platform Umo and the mobile application can be found by searching for the Umo Mobile app.

July will mark the halfway point in the “six-month switch,” MCTS said in a statement. Riders still have another three months to change out their M-Card for a new WisGo Card. But after Aug. 31 they will no longer be able to load money on their M-Cards, which will stop working altogether on Oct. 1

The new bus rapid transit service called Connect 1 was primary impetus for the new fare system, which MCTS says is “a more modern, equitable fare collection system.” Connect 1 bus platforms give riders the opportunity to pay their fare before they board the bus, something the old fare system did not support.

The WisGo system also offers fare capping, which automatically limits your payments for bus fares at daily, weekly and monthly rates. So, a rider cannot spend more than $4 a day, $19.50 a week and $72 a month on fares. Fare capping is supposed to make riding the bus an even more affordable option for daily travel, and also, transit system officials hope it will lead to an increase in ridership.

The WisGo app also gives MCTS riders the ability to pay for rides on the City of Waukesha‘s Metro Transit buses. Riders that formerly took the GoldLine into Brookfield can now transfer from Connect 1 to Waukesha Metro 1 using the same fare system.