Graham Kilmer
Transportation

Connect 1 Fare Collection Begins in April

Transit system finally receives fare validators for the east-west bus rapid transit route.

By - Mar 11th, 2024 02:24 pm

MCTS Connect 1 at Wisconsin Avenue Stop. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

Milwaukee County’s first bus rapid transit service, the Connect 1, will begin charging fares in April.

The new bus line, which runs nine-miles east and west between downtown Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, has offered free fares since it launched in June 2023.

The Connect 1 is the first bus line of its kind in Milwaukee County. It uses dedicated bus lanes and new transit technologies, like off-bus fare collection, to speed up the route. But until now, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) has not had the fare validators it needs to sell and collect fares on the Connect 1 platforms.

The validators were another casualty of the supply-chain disruption in recent years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the transit system waited for their validators to be delivered, the fares along the route were sponsored by Umo, the software platform that hosts the MCTS mobile app called WisGO.

The first fare validator was recently installed at the Watertown Plank Park and Ride, and on April 8 MCTS will begin requiring fares to ride the Connect 1.

“Starting in early April, riders are expected to pay before they board the CONNECT 1,” the transit system said in a statement. “Pre-board payment is one of the features that saves riders time, making it faster to ride the bus.”

Connect 1 fare validator. Photo courtesy MCTS.

To pre-pay, riders can scan their WisGo Card or fare QR code on the WisGo mobile app. Cash and credit cards can be used to purchase fares at the validator. Riders should hang onto their proof of payment, MCTS said, as transit security officers may ask to verify that a fare was paid.

The transit system is planning to station MCTS ambassadors at BRT stations in the week leading up to Monday, April 8 to help riders use the new system. On Wednesday, March 27, MCTS will also hold a training session at the Milwaukee Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave., at 4 p.m.

Two virtual sessions will be held on Thursday March 14 at 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday, March 19 at 3 p.m. Interested MCTS riders can register for the sessions on the MCTS website.

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Categories: MKE County, Transportation

2 thoughts on “Transportation: Connect 1 Fare Collection Begins in April”

  1. Thomas Sepllman says:
    March 12, 2024 at 9:42 am

    A great experiment Free rides I thought I read a story about increased ridership? Maybe that was on the HOP and now ….

    It seems that the Stops are not very close to the folks riding the bus Is that true?

  2. mkwagner says:
    March 12, 2024 at 11:58 am

    Connect 1 follows the old MTS 10 route with one change. Its route travels down Bluemond Rd, which is one block south of Wisconsin Ave. Having rode the 10 Bus for years, the bus would by pass many stops because there was no one getting on or off the bus. Connect 1 stops are where the majority of people would get on.

    So technically you are right, the stops are farther apart. However, they are where people generally get on.

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