Crowley Budgets $26 Million For New Buses

MCTS bus. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is trying to modernize its aging fleet.

More than 100 MCTS buses have reached retirement age over the past four years, which comes at 12 years or 500,000 miles on the odometer. It needs to replace roughly 150 buses over the next four years to maintain its fleet.

County Executive David Crowley‘s 2025 recommended budget includes $26 million for 40 new buses, or approximately $650,000 per vehicle.

The cash-strapped county couldn’t budget for 40 buses if it didn’t expect funding from the federal government. The cost for the buses would otherwise consume nearly half of the county’s entire budget for major infrastructure and capital investments.

The county has a $1 billion backlog of infrastructure needs. Policymakers are never able to keep up with everything that needs funding in each annual budget.

It’s expected that 80% of the cost for the new buses ($20.8 million) will be available through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. The county is planning to purchase 160 buses over the next five years utilizing funds from the program.

The county will order clean-diesel buses in 2025. County transportation officials are wary of purchasing more battery electric buses (BEB) in the current market. MCTS had trouble with the BEBs it launched on the county’s bus rapid transit line, Connect 1, and there are few manufacturers in the U.S. market that can deliver proven vehicles on a reliable timeline, officials have previously said.

MCTS has purchased all of its new clean-diesel buses from Gillig, a California-based manufacturer, in recent years.

Roughly one-third of all MCTS buses are ready for, or nearing, retirement. Adding to the stresses on the system’s fleet is the rise in accidents caused by reckless drivers.

“In addition to age, MCTS is seeing a 48% increase in auto-to-bus accidents, and therefore are looking at higher spare ratios and keeping older buses longer to maintain service,” according to the MCTS 2025 budget narrative. “This results in higher maintenance costs, both in parts and wages.”

In April, two separate deadly crashes in less than 48 hours knocked out two buses; one of them was a $1.2 million battery electric bus used on the Connect 1.

The recommended bus purchases will be reviewed by the Milwaukee County Board this month. A final budget will be adopted in early November.

Legislation Link - Urban Milwaukee members see direct links to legislation mentioned in this article. Join today