MILWAUKEE — At the Milwaukee County Transits Headquarters, students from different high schools are learning about public transportation.
These teens are part of Milwaukee County Transit System's (MCTS) Teen Transit Advisory Board. For Tequon Green, it's his second year being a part of the program. He said he joined because he has a passion for public transportation.
"Being a part of the MCTS Teen Transit Advisory gives me the opportunity to connect with the community in ways that I wouldn't have initially done," said Green.
The teens will share about how transportation impacts them and learn about the inner workings of the transit system.
"We want to get them out to visit different stations like the KK station and Fond du Lac station and get to meet the mechanics, operators, and get really familiar with them," said Coordinator Biltu Hamda.
On Wednesday, the teens got to design their transportation route and bus systems, ideas that MCTS leaders say are important to listen to.
"It's important to uplift and highlight the voices of our young people," said Hamda.
"One thing I learned last year is, we might not think that we're so needed now, but in the future, we are needed because we are the future of MCTS," said Kydell Amos, a second-year member of the Teen Advisory Board.
"I think planners need to hear how young people experience the city, where they're going, how they're riding the bus, what they like, what they don't like," said Daniel Stein, a former MCTS Teen Transit Advisory Board Member.
Daniel Stein was part of the advisory board last year; he is now a student at UW Madison and said he will take what he has learned from the board into his future career.
"I'm really optimistic about where Milwaukee is headed, both with the bus system and really every other piece of how people get around the city," said Stein.
He hopes to one day work on policy changes for the City of Milwaukee.
"I think transportation is one of the real big issues for me. It defines how I think about the world, and I think it's going to be one where we're going to see a lot of changes in the next 10-20, 30 years," said Stein.
Developing leadership skills is another aspect of the Advisory Board with teens working together to create better transportation and a better future for the city.
"They bring such a unique perspective to different things in life. We really want to not only teach them about transit but also learn from them," said Hamda.
For the teens participating, they get a $25 monthly meeting stipend and receive a free MCTS WisGo bus card.
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