Harley-Davidson Is New Streetcar Sponsor

Harley-Davidson Homecoming streetcar. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

While the next week will undoubtedly be dominated by the rumble and roar of motorcycles, a special Harley-Davidson has been rolling through Downtown since the middle of June.

The motorcycle manufacturer is sponsoring a custom-wrapped streetcar on The Hop for its 120th-anniversary “Homecoming” event that runs July 13-16.

You’ll be able to ride The Hop to its northern terminus at E. Ogden Avenue. and N. Prospect Avenue and walk down the hill to Veterans Park, where you can see the Foo Fighters and Green Day headline the weekend concert series.

As part of the promotion, Harley-Davidson is also giving away three two-day passes to the festival to lucky streetcar riders. Individuals riding the streetcar Saturday afternoon that also donn apparel from either the motorcycle company or the headline acts could be picked to win. Follow The Hop’s social media channels or website for full details.

The wrapped streetcar will continue running through the end of the month.

Terms of the sponsorship agreement were not disclosed, but the system’s website says month-long sponsorships start at $10,000 plus the cost to design and install the wrap.

A host of other companies and organizations have already sponsored a vehicle including the Milwaukee Bucks, Clarios, Everstream, the Salvation Army and Marquette University. Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is the presenting sponsor and its branding is still included in the branded streetcar. Marketing firm 2-Story handles marketing and branding for the city-owned system.

The sponsorship has a two-fold impact: it’s visible both to the riders and as a moving billboard.

Want to find the Harley-Davidson vehicle? The easiest way to find it is to use the mobile application. The Harley-Davidson vehicle is numbered “Vehicle: 1” in the system. Clicking on any of the vehicles on the route map in the smartphone app will display the vehicle number as well as its estimated arrival time at upcoming stations.

The 2023 city budget calls for $4.9 million to be spent on operating the streetcar system. That expense will be offset by $3.5 million in direct revenue, with the remainder coming from the city’s parking revenue. Direct revenue sources include Potawatomi Hotel & Casino ($833,333), other sponsors ($390,000), a federal pandemic-related transit grant ($2.1 million) and a federal transit support grant ($214,000).

While new state regulations prohibit spending tax dollars on new extensions, the Common Council is poised to direct the Department of Public Works to pursue federal funding to cover an estimated 70% of the cost of four extensions. An already funded extension to the lakefront, through the base of The Couture, is scheduled to open later this year.

The system’s ridership has continued to rebound from pandemic-induced 2020 lows, but has yet to return to 2019 levels. May 2023 saw 1,343 average daily rides, up from 671 in 2021 and 824 in 2022, but below the 2,030 average of May 2019. Ridership has increased every month this year, both year-over-year and month-over-month.