Supervisor Logsdon Applauds Continuation of Bus Route to Oak Creek Amazon Distribution Center

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to continue funding Milwaukee County Transit System Route 81 through 2021 at its Thursday, July 29 meeting. The route begins at W. Fond du Lac Avenue and N. 35th Street-W. Burleigh Street and travels to the Amazon MKE2 distribution center in Oak Creek.

“Route 81 has been an overwhelming success in providing access to well-paying jobs for residents of Milwaukee County,” said Supervisor Patti Logsdon, whose district includes Amazon MKE2. “Continuing bus service to Amazon MKE2 is important to Milwaukee County’s economic vitality and advances our vision of achieving racial equity.”

As a part of Milwaukee County’s 2021 adopted budget, the County Board voted to fund the route through August, with the remaining funding for 2021 set aside in an allocated contingency account. Continuation of the route would be subject to County Board approval based on ridership.

Since opening in October 2020, Amazon MKE2 has become Oak Creek’s largest employer, with 1,500 jobs. Route 81 has met its original ridership estimates and provided more than 13,000 rides between the City of Milwaukee and Amazon MKE2, averaging approximately 100 riders per day.

By connecting both the near north and south sides of Milwaukee to the distribution center in Oak Creek, Route 81 is designed to improve job access—a key component of advancing racial equity for residents of Milwaukee County.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.