10 Most Popular MCTS Routes in 2023

New Gillig Clean-Diesel Bus. Photo Courtesy of MCTS.

A list of the top 10 routes for ridership in the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) shows continued reliance on the system’s popular color-coded routes, as well as strong performances along the corridors where the transit system is making, or planning, significant investments.

The transit system’s four color-coded routes — Greenline, RedLine, etc. — have long been among the favorites in the system. In 2023, based on average daily ridership, three of the routes were in the top five most popular routes, according to data from MCTS.

The two routes running through the Wisconsin Avenue transit corridor — Route 30 and the new Connect 1 — were both in the top 10 for the year. The Connect 1 is the first bus rapid transit route in the system. Also in the top 10 were the routes running through the 27th Street transit corridor and a third transit corridor, currently served by route 18, where the county is planning to develop two more bus rapid transit routes.

#1 Route 30

The most popular route in the system in 2023 was Route 30. The route tracks a horseshoe path between McGovern Park and UW-Milwaukee, running for a spell along Wisconsin Avenue through the county’s most traveled transit corridor. Route 30 averaged approximately 7,300 rides a day.

Route 30 shares the Wisconsin Avenue corridor with the new Connect 1 bus rapid transit service, which also was in the top ten.

Route 30 buses run north and south on N. Sherman Boulevard, east and west on Wisconsin Avenue, then zig and zag across various East Side streets between Downtown and UW-Milwaukee.

#2 PurpleLine

The PurpleLine runs north and south through the 27th Street corridor in Milwaukee County. The northern end of the route runs into Glendale and the southern end into Oak Creek. In 2023, it averaged approximately 5,900 rides a day.

The 27th Street corridor has been much studied in recent years, as the county plans to develop its second bus rapid transit service along roughly the same route as the PurpleLine.

MCTS and the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will spend 2024 preparing to apply for federal funding to develop an 18-mile bus rapid transit line through the corridor. If all goes as planned, the service could be up and running by 2028.

#3 RedLine

The RedLine averaged approximately 4,500 rides a day in 2023. The route spans the county running east and west along Capitol Drive, with a connection and turnaround at UW-Milwaukee.

#4 Greenline

The GreenLine charts a path north and south between Bayshore in Whitefish Bay and Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The route runs through Shorewood and the city of Milwaukee’s East Side, Downtown, Walker’s Point and Bay View neighborhoods before heading to the airport.

In 2023, the Greenline averaged 4,400 rides a day.

#5 Route 19

Route 19 is another MCTS bus route that nearly spans the length of the county. The route runs north and south between Glendale in the north and Oak Creek in the South, often along 13th or 6th streets. Route 19 averaged  3,800 rides a day in 2023.

#6 Route 15

Close behind Route 19 was Route 15, which averaged 3,600 rides per day. Service along Route 15 runs north and south between Capitol Drive in Milwaukee and E. Drexel Ave. in South Milwaukee. The service connects downtown Milwaukee and the county’s South Shore communities including St. Francis, Cudahy and South Milwaukee.

#7 Connect 1

The county’s new $55 million bus rapid transit service called Connect 1 was launched in June 2023 and by the end of the year was averaging 3,500 rides a day.

The nine-mile Connect 1 runs east and west between Downtown and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa. A significant portion of the Connect 1 route shares Wisconsin Avenue with Route 30 buses. But Connect 1 runs for approximately half of its route within dedicated bus-only lanes. The Connect 1 has a lower frequency of stops and, when it does stop, it does so at elevated bus platforms.

Transit officials are already planning additional bus rapid transit services: One running through the 27th street corridor, and another still in the very early stages of planning, that would run along the current Route 18 route, which was also in the top 10 in 2023.

#8 Route 18

Route 18 buses operate east and west on a route primarily along W. National Avenue and W. Greenfield Avenue. The route stretches from downtown Milwaukee to the border of West Allis and Waukesha County. The 2024 county budget included $50,000 for a feasibility study for the project. The route averaged approximately 3,200 rides daily.

#9 Route 76

Route 76 runs between Northridge Mall and Southridge Mall, stopping in Wauwatosa, West Allis and Greendale along the way. The majority of the route runs along the 76th Street Corridor. In 2023, it recorded an average of 3,100 rides a day.

#10 Route 35

Route 35 runs north and south along the 35th Street corridor through the center of the city of Milwaukee, hitting Glendale at its north end and Greenfield at its southern end. The route travels through Milwaukee neighborhoods like Burnham Park, Silver City, Merrill Park, Sherman Park and McGovern Park. The route averaged 3,000 rides a day in 2023.

Top 10 Bus Routes of 2023

1. Route 30 – Sherman and Wisconsin: 7,300 (rides per day on average)
2. PurpleLine – 27th Street: 5,900
3. RedLine – Capitol: 4,500
4. GreenLine Bayshore to Airport: 4,400
5. Route 19 – King Drive and S. 13th: 3,800
6. Route 15 – Holton and Kinnickinnic: 3,600
7. CONNECT 1 BRT: 3,500
8. Route 18 – National and Greenfield: 3,200
9. Route 76 – 76th Street: 3,100
10. Route 35 – 35th Street: 3,000

Update: A previous version of this story said the PurpleLine ran through Whitefish Bay. It does not. Rather, it runs through Glendale.