Bus Riders Can Finally Pay With Credit Card

MCTS bus. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced the long-awaited arrival of contactless payment for bus riders Monday.

The new system allows riders to pay bus fares by tapping a credit card, debit card, their phone or smartwatch on the fare validator when they board.

The option was first announced in 2022, when MCTS revealed plans to roll out a new fare collection system called Umo Mobility Platforms by Cubic Transportation Systems, a multinational transportation and defense company.

MCTS began looking for a new fare system while developing Connect 1, the county’s first bus rapid transit line. A federal grant for the new route supplied MCTS with $1.5 million for the new Umo platform. MCTS rolled out the new payment system in 2023.

At the time, transit officials believed routes like the Connect 1 represented the future of MCTS. But financial shortfalls scuppered plans for a second route — the Connect 2 — and now MCTS is planning a major redesign of the system for financial sustainability. The Connect 1 was an expensive route to develop, with enhanced bus platforms and additional infrastructure designed to keep the buses rolling quickly and efficiently.

“Adding more payment options to MCTS’ WisGo system represents a significant step forward in modernizing Milwaukee County’s transit system and enhancing the overall rider experience,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement Monday. “By offering contactless payment for riders, we are creating a more accessible, efficient and dynamic transportation network not only for Milwaukee County but also for our WisGo public transit agency partners in Appleton, Beloit, Oshkosh, Racine and Waukesha, who will have the opportunity to enhance their systems by introducing this modern payment option. Efforts like this will allow MCTS to meet the needs of our community today and into the future.”

MCTS President and CEO Steve Fuentes said the new contactless payment system will offer a “smoother, more flexible” payment option for riders.

“Our goal is to make MCTS the best it can be while remaining fiscally sustainable, and contactless payment reflects that commitment,” Fuentes said. “We look forward to continuing to explore and invest in new technologies as they become available for our riders.”

The payment option also arrives as MCTS leaders, facing budget gaps and under pressure from elected officials, have begun addressing fare evasion. In 2025, the transit system revealed to Milwaukee County supervisors that its data showed an estimated one in three bus riders were not paying a fare. A handful of strategies were implemented, and MCTS recently reported that fare evasion was declining.

Evasion cost MCTS an estimated $9 million in 2024, the agency reported last year. But even if all riders pay their fares, it won’t be enough to solve the system’s financial problems. The transit system was forced to cut its budget by $9.6 million in 2026 to close a budget gap. Early projections suggest the budget gap could be as large as $20 million in 2027.