MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced plans to cut 20,000 service hours in response to a projected $10.9 million budget deficit, raising concerns among transportation workers currently negotiating their contracts.
Watch: MCTS union workers and riders against service cuts as budget deficit reaches $10.9 million
The transit system attributes the deficit to unexpected expenses and lower passenger revenue, but says no routes will be eliminated – only service frequency will change.
"Just be fair. That's all we want, is a fair contract," said Rickey Robinson, MCTS steward in the fleet department.
Transit workers are taking their demands to the public as contract negotiations continue with MCTS.
Michael Brown, vice president of Local ATU 998 which represents MCTS employees, was surprised by the announcement.
"It just all of a sudden came out of nowhere," Brown said. "Let's stop cutting budgets from hardworking people and stopping the public from getting to their doctors appointment by cutting routes."
Bus operators believe passenger revenue is down partly because drivers aren't allowed to address fare evasion.
"We can't say anything regarding fare, there's no discussion about that because you could be disciplined for it, and if there's damage to the bus it's an automatic three day suspension for the driver," said Matthew Kallas, MCTS bus operator.
Kallas says some riders take advantage of this policy, a concern echoed by regular passengers.
"Yes. Quite a bit. Every time I'm on the bus," said Lodessia Swain, an MCTS rider, when asked if she witnesses people boarding without paying.
Part of the ongoing negotiations includes language that would allow drivers to request payment from passengers.
"We're asking for them to allow us to not necessarily challenge the fare but request the fare one time," Kallas said.
Contract negotiations between the company and union will resume on June 30.
MCTS stated they haven't made final decisions on which routes will be affected but are working to minimize impact on riders. The service reductions will begin August 24, affecting non-peak weekday high-frequency routes with the lowest mid-day ridership and Saturday frequency levels.
Despite the cuts, MCTS plans to move forward with MOVE 2025 improvements, including four new routes.
For regular bus users like Swain, the news is concerning: "I don't like it because I'm a bus person, so I have to get on the bus."
MCTS Interim President and CEO Julie Esch acknowledged the difficult decision: "Reducing the frequency of buses is the last thing we want to do but it will have the least impact on our riders. We provide 80,000 rides a day—that's tens of thousands of Milwaukee County residents who depend on us to get to work, school, and medical care."
The transit system plans to notify riders of specific schedule changes as soon as possible, with updates available at the MCTS website.
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