MILWAUKEE — It’s time to say goodbye to 2022 and hello to the New Year.
Many people will be celebrating in different ways, but no matter how you celebrate, one rule to follow on the roadways is to find a responsible way home.
To encourage people to celebrate responsibly, the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is offering free rides on New Year’s Eve starting at 8 p.m. and running until the end of regular service.
Several other popular routes will have extended service until 4 a.m. Those include: Green Line (Bayshore – Airport), Blue Line (Fond du Lac), Purple Line (27th Street), Gold Line (UWM - Wisconsin), and Routes 14 (Humboldt - Forest Home), 18 (National – Greenfield), 19 (King Drive – S. 13th), and 30 (Sherman – Wisconsin).
"You can let MCTS be a designated driver, so you really shouldn’t be out driving if you’re out partying," said Kristina Hoffman with MCTS.
The Miller Lite free rides program started back in 1988. Every year residents from across the county use it as their way to get home from a long night of partying.
"We see thousands of riders every year take advantage of this," said Hoffman.
To help locals celebrate safely and plan out their night, MCTS launched a Bus Crawl site, which includes a list of the best routes to take to get you to your favorite bar-hopping locations.
Another free way to get around downtown is through The Hop. It will have extended service running from 7 a.m. New Year’s Eve until 2 a.m.
AAA is also activating its Tow to Go Program, an effort to keep impaired drivers off the roadways.
"We are providing a free ride for the driver and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius. It is free and available to AAA members and non-members but were still reminding drivers to use this as a last resort," said Mark Jenkins with AAA.
