MILWAUKEE — Changes are coming to 11 bus routes as part of the MCTS NEXT system redesign. Adjustments will be made to Routes 11, 12, 14, 21, 34, 53, 57, 58, 80, 88, and PurpleLine.
Every day, Antonio Gray takes the bus to work, he said he hopes it provides better service, but the name change of Route 12 to Route 11 along Hampton Ave, he is not a fan of.
"It's going to be weird seeing an 11 going down my block and it's going to make people confused like where is the 12 at?" said Antonio.
To help avoid name confusion, MCTS has posted signs at bus stops along the new route 11, informing riders of the adjustments.
The changes include improving high-frequency service, better connections to jobs and grocery stores along improved routes on the weekend.
“Our riders have been telling us they want more frequent service and that was the ultimate goal of MCTS NEXT,” said Kristina Hoffman, Director of Marketing and Communications for MCTS.
A list of changes include:
- More high-frequency service.
- When buses come more often, passengers enjoy reliable service and can easily connect with other routes.
- Route 80’s high-frequency service will be extended north of Locust Street (including 7th Street/8th Street, Dr. M.L.K. Drive and Green Bay Avenue) to Florist Avenue.
- Route 12’s high-frequency service will be extended north of Hampton Avenue all the way to Brown Deer Road (via Teutonia Avenue and Green Bay Road).
- The PurpleLine’s high-frequency service will be extended to include new routing on the northern end to Bayshore.
- There will also be more frequent service on Hampton Avenue (Route 11), Hopkins Street (Route 34), Villard Avenue (Route 58) and Brown Deer Road (Route 88) compared to what is currently available along these corridors.
- Better connections to jobs and grocery stores.
- Four new routes – Routes 11, 34, 58, and 88 – will provide additional routing options for passengers. Visit RideMCTS.com/NEXT to see maps showing where these routes will operate.
- Route 88 will provide brand new service to and from Woodman’s, Sam’s Club, and Aldi at 124th & Bradley as well as Briggs & Stratton nearby. This is the first time employees and shoppers will be able to access these destinations by MCTS bus.
- Route 12 will now provide more direct service to destinations like the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Milwaukee County Courthouse, and MATC.
- Improved service on weekends.
- We’re making improvements to weekend service on Routes 11, 12, 34, 58, 80, and 88.
- For example, Route 12 buses north of Hampton Avenue will now arrive every 20-25 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays (versus 40 minutes today). Route 58 buses will run approximately every 30 minutes on weekends (versus 60 minutes today).
- Simpler routing that is more direct and easier to understand.
- Routes 12 and 80 will be adjusted to provide more frequent service along a single corridor instead of being “branched” onto multiple streets with low frequency service like they are today.
- Route 12 service on the Hampton Avenue branch will be replaced by a new route, Route 11. Service on Brown Deer Road between Green Bay Road and 66th-Park Plaza will be replaced by a new, expanded route, Route 88.
- Route 80 service on the Hopkins Street branch will be replaced by a new, expanded route, Route 34. Service on the Villard Avenue branch will be replaced by a new, expanded route, Route 58.
- Faster service by properly balancing bus stops.
- We are working to make sure bus stops along Routes 12, 14, 21, 53, 57, and 80 are properly balanced.
- Bus stop balancing means shortening many riders’ travel times by removing some stops that are too close to each other, are not used often, or do not meet standards for being accessible to persons with disabilities.
Passengers are encouraged to visit RideMCTS.com/NEXT or call 414-344-6711 for specific information about what to expect on their routes. Phase Two of MCTS NEXT will be followed by Phase Three on August 29, 2021 — impacting an additional 11 routes.
