Don’t Drink and Drive, Take the Bus

If you’re planning on celebrating the new year and drinking, get your money’s worth for your Molson Coors purchases and take the bus.

As with every New Years Eve for the past 36 years, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is offering free rides thanks to sponsorship from Molson Coors. The free rides program began in 1988, back when it was sponsored by the Miller Brewing Company. Even as the company became part of MillerCoors in 2008 and Molson Coors in 2016, the sponsorship was continued.

The free rides will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31 and continue until 4 a.m. the following day. Typically, most MCTS routes make their last pickup sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. For the holiday, MCTS is extending service until 4 a.m. along nine major routes.

“To ensure that those celebrating in Milwaukee have a reliable ride, we are excited to activate the Free Rides program once again across the U.S. this New Year’s Eve,” said Alison Hanrahan, community affairs manager, Molson Coors. “In collaboration with MCTS, we are looking forward to fostering community and fellowship as we ring in the New Year.”

Molson Coors also regularly sponsors free rides on another holiday known for boozy celebration: St. Patrick’s Day. Molson Coors sponsors free rides in cities across the county on New Year’s Eve including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Riders can find real-time updates on bus arrival times and routes using the MCTS mobile app WisGo. Riders can punch their destination into the app and find the nearest bus line.

Don’t let expensive surge pricing on ride share services like Uber and Lyft discourage you from safe travel this new years. Take the bus instead. It’s free and easy.

Bus Service Extended Until 4 a.m.

• CONNECT 1 BRT
• Route 14 – Entire route
• Route 18 –  from intersection of N. Broadway and E. Knapp to S. 121st St. and W. Greenfield Ave.
• Route 21 – Mayfair Mall to North Avenue and Water Tower (East Side)
• Route 24 – MCTS Admin Building (N. 17th St.) to Southridge
• Route 30 – Entire route, both branches
• Route PurpleLine – Bayshore to Franklin Walmart
• Route BlueLine – N. 5th St. and W. Clybourn St. to W. Fond du Lac and W. Constance Ave. (Near W. Hampton Ave. intersection)
• Route GreenLine – Entire route