Madison Metro
Madison Metro Transit operates a bus service 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, and a small portion of McFarland.[1] System-wide, fixed route ridership was 13,385,628 in 2018.[2] Metro Transit also provides supplemental transit services to some Madison middle and high schools. Several schools have switched to yellow buses in 2019. These routes are open to the general public, but have been designed to provide additional services during peak school times.[3] Metro 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]
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| Parent | City of Madison |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1245 E. Washington Ave. |
| Locale | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Service area | 72 square miles |
| Service type | Bus service, Paratransit |
| Routes | 70 |
| Stops | 2,345 bus stops |
| Destinations | Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Shorewood Hills, Verona, McFarland, Sun Prairie |
| Hubs |
|
| Fleet | 215 fixed-route buses, 20 paratransit vehicles |
| Daily ridership | 58,700 trips |
| Fuel type | Low Sulfur diesel, Hybrid diesel-electric, and some battery-operated electric buses (active 2020) |
| Operator | City of Madison |
| Website | www |
Metro also connects with suburban mass transit services, such as the Monona Lift/Monona Express and Sun Prairie Shared Taxi Shuttle.[5]
Route network
The route network focuses on hubs at the Capitol Square in downtown Madison and four major transfer points in outer parts of Madison. Core all day routes "pulse" at the transfer points every 30 to 60 minutes and are supplemented by an overlay of commuter service. Many routes serve downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin Madison where transit use is high.[6]
Several service updates reflected in this article went into effect in August 2013. Significant changes include the restructuring of Routes 9 and 10, significant changes to Route 18, the introduction of two new routes in east Madison - Routes 31 and 35, and the expansion of Route 33 in east Madison. Route 85 was consolidated into Route 80 in August 2012 due to a UW budget shortfall.[7]
Routes
In the table below, "Via(s)" refer to different patterns the same route may take. For example, "Route 6 via Hayes" means that the bus will travel on the Hayes loop before reaching the West Transfer Point or East Towne Mall - other Route 6 trips may travel "via MATC".
Regular routes
| Route | To/ From | Via(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2
|
West Transfer Pt | North Transfer Pt | Fordem / Sherman | |
4
|
South Transfer Pt | North Transfer Pt |
Hourly After 6 pm | |
5
|
East Transfer Pt | South Transfer Pt |
Hourly After 6 pm | |
6
|
West Transfer Pt | East Towne Mall | Tokay / Mineral Point,
MATC / Hayes |
|
| 7 | West Transfer Pt | East Transfer Pt | Monroe | |
| 8 | Capitol Square | Spring Harbor | Hourly After 6 pm | |
13
|
South Transfer Pt | UW Campus |
Hourly | |
15
|
Junction Ridge | East Transfer Pt | Capitol Square / Old Middleton / High Point | |
16
|
South Transfer Pt | East Transfer Pt | Broadway | Hourly after 6 pm
No Stops in Monona |
17
|
North Transfer Pt | East Transfer Pt | Shopko | |
18
|
West Transfer Pt | South Transfer Pt | Midvale / Hammersley / Coho | |
20
|
North Transfer Pt | East Towne Mall | Airport | |
21
|
North Transfer Pt | Lakeview | ||
22
|
North Transfer Pt | Mendota | ||
26
|
East Towne Mall | American Center | City View | |
30
|
East Transfer Pt | East Towne Mall | Nakoosa / Swanton | |
31
|
East Transfer Pt | Marsh Rd | Dutch Mill |
Hourly |
32
|
East Transfer Pt | Thompson Dr - Acewood Blvd |
Hourly | |
| 36 | East Towne Mall | East Springs | Hourly | |
40
|
South Transfer Pt | Arbor Hills | Grandview and Hatchery Hill /
Todd and Greenway |
|
50
|
West Transfer Pt | Raymond Rd - Schroeder Rd | ||
51
|
West Transfer Pt | Muir Field Rd |
Hourly | |
52
|
West Transfer Pt | Orchard Pointe | Hourly,
Weekday Only | |
| 59 | West Transfer Pt | Fitchburg | Orchard Pointe | Hourly,
Weekend Only |
| 63 | West Transfer Pt | Prairie Town Center | West Towne Mall | Hourly,
Weekend Only |
67
|
West Transfer Pt | West Towne Mall | ||
| 68 | West Transfer Pt | Prairie Town Center | Hourly,
Weekend Only | |
70
|
Capitol Square | Middleton |
South Ridge, Discovery |
Hourly,
Weekday Only |
73
|
Middleton | West Transfer Point | Hourly,
Weekday Only | |
| 78 | West Transfer Pt | Middleton | South Ridge,
Terrace |
Hourly,
Limited stops Weekend Only |
Weekday peak-only routes
| Route | To/ From | Via(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
11
|
Dutch Mill Park & Ride | West Transfer Pt |
UW Campus |
East in Morning Peak, West in Night Peak |
12
|
West Transfer Pt | Dutch Mill Park & Ride |
UW Campus |
West in Morning Peak, East in Night Peak |
23
|
Sun Prairie | Capitol Square | Limited Stops | |
28
|
West Transfer Pt | North Transfer Pt |
UW Campus |
|
33
|
East Transfer Pt | Wyalusing Dr | ||
38
|
University Row | Pflaum Rd | Capitol Square | |
39 |
East Transfer Pt | World Dairy | Dempsey | Hourly,
Morning Peak and Midday Only |
44
|
UW Campus | South Transfer Point |
North in Morning Peak, South in Night Peak Weekday Only | |
48
|
South Transfer Point | UW Campus | North in Morning Peak, South in Night Peak,
Limited Stops Weekday Only | |
49
|
South Transfer Pt | Fitchburg | Hatchery Hill
Lacy |
Hatchery Hill Loop in Morning Peak, Lacy Loop in Night Peak Limited Stops Weekday Only |
55
|
West Transfer Pt | Epic Campus | Verona | Hourly,
Limited stops Weekday Only |
72
|
Capitol Square | Middleton |
Allen, Pleasant |
Limited stops |
75
|
Capitol Square | Epic Campus | Verona | Limited stops |
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.[8]
- 80 Memorial Union - Eagle Heights (weekday, weekends, and late night)
- 81 Park, Broom, Johnson/Gorham Loop(s) (evening and late night)
- 82 Observatory, Breese Loop(s) (evening and late night)
- 84 Eagle Heights Express (limited stops) weekdays only
Supplemental Schoolday Service
- E, E1, E3, E5 - East High School District
- L, L1, L3, L5, L7 - La Follette High School District
- M, M1, M3, M5, M7 - Memorial High School District
- W, W1, W3, W5, W7 - West High School District
Discontinued Bus Routes
| Route | To/ From | Via(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Capitol Square | Old University Ave & Highland Ave | ||
3 |
West Transfer Pt | East Transfer Pt | Division / Winnebago | |
10 |
University Row | Union Corners | Johnson or Gorham /
Jenifer UW Hospital / Campus |
Weekday only |
14 |
Wexford Ridge | Capitol Square | Gammon/ Westfield/ Colony | |
19 |
Chalet Gardens | Capitol Square | Red Arrow / Mohawk | |
25 |
American Center | Capitol Square | Limited stops | |
27 |
North Transfer Pt | Capitol Square - UW Campus | ||
29 |
Breese Terrace | School Rd | ||
34 |
East Transfer Pt | MATC-Truax | ||
35 |
East Transfer Pt | Richmond Hill - Acewood Blvd | ||
37 |
Pflaum Rd | UW Campus - Sheboygan Ave | ||
47 |
Capitol Square | Arbor Hills | ||
56 |
North Transfer Pt | West Transfer Pt - McKee Rd | ||
57 |
North Transfer Pt | West Transfer Pt - McKee Rd | ||
58 |
Capitol Square | Greentree | ||
71 |
Capitol Square | Middleton | ||





Bus fleet
- 800-875 New Flyer D40LF (Most have been retired, Main use for school service and extra buses)
- 876-999, 100-160 Gillig Advantage (several of the oldest in the fleet have been retired)
- 001-021 Gillig/GM/Allison (Gillig BRT Hybrid)[9]
- 1901-1915 New Flyer Xcelsior (40' ft) added in 2019.
- 3 Proterra, Inc. Electric Buses, joined fleet 2020-21, began service late 2022.
Ridership
| Ridership | Change over previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013[10] | 15,001,760 | n/a |
| 2014[11] | 15,492,317 | |
| 2015[12] | 14,632,229 | |
| 2016[13] | 13,584,517 | |
| 2017[14] | 13,108,095 | |
| 2018[15] | 13,385,628 | |
| 2019[16] | 12,969,815 | |
| 2020[17] | 4,755,375 | |
| 2021[18] | 5,458,011 | |
Gallery
Metro bus on State Street
A Madison Metro bus stop sign
The front of a Metro Gillig BRT hybrid bus
Inside a hybrid bus at night
Madison Metro bus
Metro Transit Maintenance Facility
See also
References
- Madison Metro Transit (2018). "Madison Metro System Maps". City of Madison. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- Staff (2018). "2018 Annual Report" (PDF). Metro Transit. City of Madison, WI. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- "Supplemental School Service". Metro Transit - City of Madison, Wisconsin.
- "Bus Routes". wisc.edu.
- "Sun Prairie Taxi Service - Routes & Schedules". Metro Transit - City of Madison, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26.
- "2013-2017 Transit Development Plan for the Madison Urban Area" (PDF), greatermadisonmpo.org
- Savidge, Nico (Mar 11, 2022). "UW announces changes to campus bus routes". madison.com.
- "UW Service Calendar". Metro Transit. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Staff (2010). "METRO HYBRID BUSES". Metro Transit. City of Madison, WI. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- "2013 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2014 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2015 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2016 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2017 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2018 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2019 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2020 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
- "2021 Metro Transit System profile" (PDF), transit.dot.gov
External links
- Metro Transit website
- Public Transit Data and Trends from the Madison Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
