Metro Transit
ParentCity of Madison
Headquarters1245 E. Washington Ave.
LocaleMadison, Wisconsin
Service area72 square miles
Service typeBus service, Paratransit (contracted)
DestinationsFitchburg, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Monona (future), Shorewood Hills, Verona, McFarland, Sun Prairie
Hubs
  • Capitol Square
  • Junction Road Park & Ride (future)
  • Memorial Union
  • Park & University
  • Sheboygan Ave
  • South Transfer Point
  • Sun Prairie Park & Ride
Annual ridership8,379,362 (2022)
Fuel typeLow Sulfur diesel, Hybrid diesel-electric, and some battery-operated electric buses (active 2020)
OperatorCity of Madison
General ManagerJustin Stuehrenberg
Websitewww.cityofmadison.com/metro

Metro Transit, formerly Madison Metro, operates bus services throughout the City of Madison, Wisconsin, United States and most of its immediate suburbs, including the City of Middleton, Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Shorewood Hills, Sun Prairie, Verona, a small portion of McFarland as well as future service slated to serve Monona.[1] System-wide, fixed route ridership was 13,385,628 in 2018.[2] Metro Transit also provides supplemental transit services to Madison's high schools. These routes are open to the general public, but have been designed to provide additional services during peak school times.[3] Metro Transit also serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, Eagle Heights University apartments, and some off-campus residential areas, via routes 80, 81, 82, and 84. The "80 routes" are free of charge.[4]

Metro also connects with suburban mass transit services, such as the Monona Lift/Monona Express.[5][6]

History

Before the city of Madison established a public transit agency, bus service in the city was operated by a private firm, the Madison Bus Company. After the company's revenues fell and the quality of service declined in the 1960s, the city agreed to purchase the Madison Bus Company, with the acquisition taking effect on May 1, 1970.[7]

A Metro bus at Hilldale Mall

Metro Transit's routes were dramatically overhauled on July 19, 1998. Previously, all routes had passed through Capitol Square, making downtown the only interchange point for cross-town travel. The 1998 changes redesigned the entire network around four newly-created "transfer points" on the north, east, south, and west sides of the city. The number of routes nearly doubled, from 23 to 43. Additionally, while the old routes had been indicated with letters, the new routes were given numbers to illustrate that they had no connection to the previous network.[8] This transfer point system had been proposed as early as 1970, while the city was in the process of acquiring the bus company, by city council candidate Audrey Parkinson.[9]

On June 11, 2023, the route network was overhauled to one with fewer routes and more frequent service.[10] Three of the four transfer points were eliminated from the network, while the South Transfer Point remains and will be replaced with standard bus shelters. The change has had a mixed reception; some have praised the redesign for more frequent service with less transfers, while others have criticized the redesign for eliminating service where the elderly, disabled, and low-income populations used to be able to ride the bus.[11][12]

The Supplemental School Service routes were updated as well, but there weren't nearly as many changes. Previously the school routes were lettered, but the routes are now numbered. Metro previously also provided services to middle schools but have switched to yellow buses as part of recent route changes.[13]

In December 2023 the Monona city council elected to join the Metro Transit network with a future branch of the C route slated to serve the suburb as well as opening stops along the existing G and L routes that currently operate express through Monona, this will replace the existing Monona Express commuter service. [14][15]

Route network

The transit network focuses on point-to-point service with some routes having different destinations but sharing the same core segments. Many routes serve downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Madison where transit usage is high.

The vast majority of service updates reflected in this section went into effect in June 2023. Significant changes include the restructuring of the main route network, including the discontinuation of the previous transfer point system, and the reintroduction of lettered routes replacing the previous numbering system. Although a small amount of weekday commuter routes remain numbered for administrative reasons.[16] The University of Wisconsin circulator network was largely unaffected by the changes and retain its previous numbers/ routes.[17][18]

Bus rapid transit

Metro Transit is currently designing and constructing a bus rapid transit system that will offer faster and more frequent service. [19] Buses on BRT lines will run every 5–15 minutes during weekday hours. The BRT system will initially consist of two lines: an east-west line that will replace the current Route A, planned start in late 2024, and a north-south line that will replace Route B by 2026 or 2027.[20]

Regular routes

All routes in the table below run daily with varying service levels given the time/day. For example, route B runs every 15 minutes on weekdays, but every 30 minutes during evenings and weekends.[21]

Route Terminals[note 1] Major streets[note 2] Notes
A Junction & Watts 1: Sun Prairie Park & Ride East Springs Dr, High Crossing Blvd Future BRT route
2: American Center/Hanson Rd American Pkwy, Eastpark Blvd
B Fitchburg/Cahill Main Northport Dr Fish Hatchery Rd, Park St, Packers Ave Future BRT route
C UW Hospital/Highland Ave 1: Sprecher & Cottage Grove Old University Ave, King St, Wilson St, Jenifer St, Winnebago St, Atwood Ave Interlines with Route R after 7 PM, weekends and holidays at UW Hospital. Future City of Monona service.
2: Buckeye Rd
D 1: Junction & Watts Sprecher & Cottage Grove Schroeder Rd, Tokay Blvd, Odana Rd, Milwaukee St
2: McKee & Maple Grove Airport/International Ln Fitchrona Rd, Williamsburg Way, Allied Dr, Nakoma Rd, Sherman Ave
E McKee Rd Capitol Square Raymond Rd, Whitney Way, Mineral Point Rd, Regent St, W. Washington Ave
F Junction Rd–Middleton Sheboygan Ave–Capitol Square Deming Way, University Ave, Parmenter St, Century Ave, Allen Blvd, Sheboygan Ave Future BRT route

East terminus at Sheboygan & Eau Claire after 7PM, weekends and holidays.

G South Transfer Point East Towne Mall/Independence Ln Badger Rd, South Towne Dr, E. Broadway, Monona Dr (no stops), Dempsey Rd, Thompson Rd, Eagan Rd Future City of Monona service.
H West Towne Mall/Westfield Rd South Transfer Point Gammon Rd, McKenna Blvd, Raymond Rd, Todd Dr, Fish Hatchery Rd, Badger Rd
J West Towne Mall/Westfield Rd Park St/Brooks & Johnson Odana Rd, Tokay Blvd, Speedway Rd, Highland Ave/UW Hospital
L Femrite & Agriculture Sherman & Delaware Owl Creek Rd, Dutch Mill Rd, Agriculture Dr, Pflaum Rd, Atwood Ave, Sherman Ave Future City of Monona service.
O South Transfer Point Park St/Brooks & Johnson-Park & Erin/St. Mary's Hospital Badger Rd, Fish Hatchery Rd, Randall Ave, Olin Ave, John Nolen Dr, Rimrock Rd Most peak hour trips terminate at St. Mary's Hospital
P Independance & E Washington/East Towne Mall (loop) Independance & E Washington/East Towne Mall (loop) Hayes Rd, Portage Rd, Anniversary Ln
R 1: Junction & Watts UW Hospital/Highland Ave–Capitol Square High Point Rd, Old Sauk Rd, Old Middleton Rd East terminus at UW Hospital after 7 PM, weekends and holidays.

Interlines with Route C after 7 PM, weekends and holidays at UW Hospital.

2: South Ridge/Highway Q & Century Ave Century Ave, University Ave, Gammon Rd

Weekday peak-only routes

Route Terminals Major Streets[note 3] Notes
28 Sheboygan Ave Sherman Ave Observatory Dr/UW Campus, Charter St, Fordem Ave
38 Sheboygan Ave Jenifer & Ingersoll Babcock Dr/UW Campus, Bassett St, Broom St, Wilson St, Doty St, Williamson St
55 Junction & Watts Epic Campus High Point Rd, Mid Town Rd, Northern Lights Rd
65 UW Hospital Fitchburg John Nolen Dr, Rimrock Rd, Lacy Rd, E. Cheryl Pkwy
75 Epic Campus/Verona Capitol Square Verona Ave, McKee Rd, Fish Hatchery Rd, Park St
  1. ↑ Routes may have multiple start/end points.
  2. ↑ Sections of roads with more than two concurrent routes are generally omitted for conciseness.
  3. ↑ Sections of roads with more than two concurrent routes are generally omitted for conciseness.

Sun Prairie circulator service

Metro Transit provides two local bus routes within the City of Sun Prairie. Both routes run on a looping circulator system beginning and ending at the Sun Prairie Park and Ride, where it is possible to transfer to Route A into the city of Madison and connect with the rest of the Metro system. Route S runs seven days a week including holidays with 60 minute headways and route W operates on weekdays only with 30 minute headways. Route W interlines with the mainline east-west Route A at the Park & Ride, allowing for a single seat ride from Sun Prairie to downtown Madison, campus and points west.[22][23]

Route Terminal Major Streets Notes
S Sun Prairie Park & Ride (counterclockwise loop) O'Keefe Ave, Main St, Bristol St, Tower Dr, Windsor St, Grand Ave, Reiner Rd
W Sun Prairie Park & Ride (clockwise loop) O'Keefe Ave, Main St, Bristol St, Bird St, US 151 (no stops), Grand Ave, Reiner Rd Weekdays only

Continues from P&R as Route A

    UW–Madison campus buses

    All routes in this section are fare free. Operating costs are paid by Associated Students of Madison, UW Transportation Services, and University Housing. When UW–Madison is out of session, route 80 and 84 service is reduced and routes 81 and 82 do not run.[24]

    Route Terminals Major Streets[note 1] Notes
    80 Memorial Union Eagle Heights/UW Hospital Observatory Dr, Highland Ave, University Bay Dr, Lake Mendota Dr, Randall Ave, Dayton St, Lake St Route terminates at UW Hospital during peak hours.
    81 Memorial Union (loop) Memorial Union (loop) Langdon St, Wisconsin Ave, Gorham St, Lake St, Kohl Center, Broom St, Bassett St Overnight service 6 PM - 3 AM
    82 Memorial Union (loop) Memorial Union (loop) Observatory Dr, University Ave, Camp Randall Stadium, Regent St, Park St, Lake St Overnight service 6 PM - 3 AM
    84 Linden & Charter Eagle Heights Observatory Dr, Highland Ave, University Bay Dr, Lake Mendota Dr, Linden St Peak hours only
    1. ↑ Sections of roads with more than two concurrent routes are generally omitted for conciseness.

    Supplemental schoolday service

    Hybrid bus on University Ave.
    Standard paint scheme for conventional buses
    Inside a conventional bus at night
    A hybrid bus with its wheel chair ramp extended

    Bus fleet

    • 876–999, 100–160 Gillig Low Floor (All of the oldest in the fleet and some in the 900s have been retired; many are used mostly for MMSD service and extra rush hour buses.)
    • 001–021 Gillig/GM/Allison (Gillig BRT Hybrid)[25]
    • 1901–1915 New Flyer Xcelsior (40' ft) added in 2019.
    • 2001–2003 Proterra, Inc. Electric Buses, joined fleet in the summer of 2020, began service late 2022.[26]
    • 2004–2015 New Flyer Xcelsior (40' ft) added in 2020.
    • 2201–2215 New Flyer Xcelsior (40' ft) added in 2022.

    Retired fleet

    Future fleet

    • 46 New Flyer Xcelsior 60-foot battery electric buses; will be used on a new Bus Rapid Transit line in 2024.[27]

    Interior artwork

    Each vehicle listed below has 1 or 2 pictures of famous paintings displayed inside near the front of the bus.

    Ridership

    RidershipChange over previous year
    2013[28] 15,001,760n/a
    2014[29] 15,492,317Increase3.27%
    2015[30] 14,632,229Decrease5.55%
    2016[31] 13,584,517Decrease7.16%
    2017[32] 13,108,095Decrease3.51%
    2018[33] 13,385,628Increase2.12%
    2019[34] 12,969,815Decrease3.11%
    2020[35] 4,755,375Decrease63.34%
    2021[36] 5,458,011Increase14.7%
    2022[37] 8,379,362Increase53.52%

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ "Metro Transit". www.cityofmadison.com. August 18, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
    2. ↑ Staff (2018). "2018 Annual Report" (PDF). Metro Transit. City of Madison, WI. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
    3. ↑ "Supplemental School Service". Metro Transit – City of Madison, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
    4. ↑ "Bus Routes". wisc.edu. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
    5. ↑ "Sun Prairie Taxi Service – Routes & Schedules". Metro Transit – City of Madison, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012.
    6. ↑ "Public Transportation". www.mymonona.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
    7. ↑ Foley, Tom. "Bus Drivers Still Don't Know Who The Boss Is", Madison Capital Times, April 30, 1970, page 29.
    8. ↑ Hall, Dee J., Phil Brinkman, and Valeria Davis-Humphrey. "Know where you're going?", Wisconsin State Journal, July 21, 1998, front page and page 4A.
    9. ↑ "10th Ward Candidate Urges Route Overhaul for Buses", Madison Capital Times, February 2, 1970, page 3.
    10. ↑ Kowles, Naomi (March 30, 2022). "Fewer routes, more rides: Madison's bus route redesign has some elderly, disabled concerned". Channel3000.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    11. ↑ Kowles, Naomi (April 26, 2022). "Madison fields thousands of suggestions, complaints, input on Metro Transit redesign". WMSN. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    12. ↑ Kowles, Naomi. "ACLU Wisconsin to Madison Metro: Concerns about transit redesign's compliance with federal law". Channel3000.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    13. ↑ "Transportation - Madison Metropolitan School District". www.madison.k12.wi.us. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
    14. ↑ "Monona to switch to Madison's Metro Transit for bus service". December 19, 2023.
    15. ↑ "Proposed Madison Metro Bus Routes as Recommended to the City Council on December 5, 2023 | Monona, WI - Official Website".
    16. ↑ "Transit Network Redesign | Metro Transit, City of Madison, Wisconsin". October 16, 2020.
    17. ↑ "UW Service Calendar | Metro Transit, City of Madison, Wisconsin". March 6, 2019.
    18. ↑ "Campus and City Bus Routes – UW Madison". Transportation Services. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
    19. ↑ Lehr, Sarah (December 15, 2022). "Madison promises fewer stops, shorter commutes as plans for bus rapid transit roll ahead". Wisconsin Public Radio. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    20. ↑ Degnan, Maggie (September 29, 2021). "City of Madison surges forward with Bus Rapid Transit plans despite some local businesses' opposition". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    21. ↑ "Route B Metro Transit". www.cityofmadison.com. April 15, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
    22. ↑ "Metro Transit Service to Sun Prairie". City of Sun Prairie.
    23. ↑ Peters, Tyler (January 21, 2023). "Sun Prairie to join Metro Transit's Bus Rapid Transit system". Retrieved July 5, 2023.
    24. ↑ "UW Service Calendar". Metro Transit. March 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
    25. ↑ Staff (2010). "METRO HYBRID BUSES". Metro Transit. City of Madison, WI. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
    26. ↑ Garfield, Allison (August 15, 2022). "The bumpy road to electric buses in Madison". The Cap Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    27. ↑ "New Flyer will deliver 46 e-buses to Metro Transit for the city of Madison". Sustainable Bus. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    28. ↑ "2013 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    29. ↑ "2014 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    30. ↑ "2015 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2023, retrieved April 2, 2022
    31. ↑ "2016 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    32. ↑ "2017 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    33. ↑ "2018 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    34. ↑ "2019 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on February 4, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    35. ↑ "2020 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022, retrieved April 2, 2022
    36. ↑ "2021 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2023, retrieved February 5, 2023
    37. ↑ "2022 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov, retrieved November 12, 2023
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