MCTS Announces Route Changes for Fall 2024

MCTS bus on N. Van Buren St. Photo by Dave Reid.

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus routes are being tweaked to account for the new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure the City of Milwaukee has installed.

MCTS recently noted a handful of changes to bus routes taking effect this fall. Two routes along N. Van Buren Street will have minor changes, now that the city is finishing up the $3.1 million Van Buren Transformation project.

The city constructed new protected bike lanes and other traffic calming measures to reduce car crashes and protect pedestrians and multi-modal transportation users.

Once construction on phase two of the project is complete, Route 30 will start running south along Van Buren Street all the way to E. Wisconsin Avenue and Route 33 will run all the way to the intersection of E. Wisconsin and N. Cass streets.

Along with the changes for the project along N. Van Buren Street, MCTS is bringing back service on routes 21 and 66 running to UW-Milwaukee in time for the new school year. Bus frequency along the Connect 1 bus rapid transit service will be reduced to every 15 minutes in response to the end of the summer festival season.

The transit system updates routes four times a year, timed to coincide with bus operators picking their schedules for the next quarter. The changes will go into effect Aug. 25.

Route 30 and Route 33

Southbound buses on Route 30 will no longer use N. Jackson Street between E. Kilbourn and E. Wisconsin avenues and will standardize with northbound buses on N. Van Buren Street.

Buses on the eastern end of Route 33 will begin traveling east on E. Kilbourn Avenue to N. Prospect Avenue and run south until hitting the intersection of E. Wisconsin Avenue and E. Cass Street. The buses will lay over at the intersection, offering operators a chance for a brief respite and access to a nearby restroom.

Route 24 and Route 76

Route 24 is being extended to Greendale, with a terminus at the intersection of S. 60th Street and W. Grange Avenue. Route 76, however, will stop running into Greendale and will turn around at the border at Southridge Mall. 

Route 60

A detour at the southern end of Route 60, near the intersection of S. 60th Street and W. Layton Avenue, will become permanent. The detour takes riders roughly five blocks east to the intersection of Layton and S. 55th Street, then it U-turns and heads back west toward 60th Street.

Increased Frequency

In response to ridership demand, MCTS is tweaking bus frequency along five routes: GreenLine, Route 28, Route 54, Route 57 and Route 63. Bus frequency will be tweaked along these routes at specific times of day and days of the week, according to an MCTS information page with details on the frequency tweaks.