Milwaukee County Transit System

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have been required on all MCTS buses since August 1, 2020. As of July 1, 2021, there is no passenger limit on each bus.[10] Passengers are also encouraged to limit interaction with the bus driver, exit through the back door, and to use contactless fare forms, such as the M•CARD or Ride MCTS app.[11]

In 2015, 28 new New Flyer Xcelsior 5600 series (5600-5627) buses were acquired. These buses were the first MCTS buses to have an automatic opening rear door by virtue of a touch bar.[15]

MCTS operates a fleet of about 75 New Flyer D40LFRs, 163 Xcelsior XD40s, and 122 Gillig Low Floor BRTs. Almost all buses are 40 feet (12 m) long, with the exception of the 5800 series (5800-5814) XD40s being 41 feet long. 28 of the new Gillig Low Floor Advantage BRT 40-ft coaches (5900-5927) were delivered in 2019,[16] marking Gillig's first return to the MCTS fleet in years. The 4700 series and 4800 series 2003 & 2004 New Flyer D40LFs were taken out of service by July 11, 2019, while the 4900 & 5000 series 2005 and 2006 New Flyer D40LFs were retired by July 23, 2019. As a result, all New Flyer D40LFs were officially taken out of service, ending a 23-year run of original low-floor buses on the streets of Milwaukee. Between June and July 2020, the second set of Gillig BRTs (6000-6022) were delivered, accounting for 23 more buses. In Spring 2022, MCTS put into service a third set of Gillig Low Floor BRTs (6100-6113). The 6100 series Gillig BRTs originally operated on low-use routes 11, 34, 68 and 88, due to testing of the on-board Clever Devices systems. Now they appear on all Fond Du Lac based routes

From the summer through fall of 2022, MCTS took delivery of 59 brand new Gillig Advantage BRTs. These buses were in addition to the 14 6100 series units currently in service, bringing the total to 73. Combined, these buses will retire/replace the remaining 5100–5200 series New Flyer D40LFRs from 2010 to 2011

As of Mid January 2023, the vast majority of 5100 and 5200 series New Flyer D40LFRs from 2010 to 2011 have been removed from service and officially retired... with the 5300 series D40LFRs from 2012 being the main fleet still in large numbers.

As of January 2023, all 6200 series BRT'S have been put into service, which will lead to the removal/ retirement of the remaining 5100–5200 series D40LFRs from 2010 to 2011

15 Nova Bus LFSe+ battery electric buses numbered in the 1000 series (1000-1014) are planned for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project MCTS Connect. The first 11 buses are expected to arrive in Milwaukee County between November 2022 and early 2023, then placed into service for MCTS Connect on June 4, 2023.

 The remaining 4 buses will be delivered and placed into service by the end of 2023. Pilot bus # 1000 was spotted in downtown Milwaukee on November 10, 2022 [17]

The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) plans to seek approximately $55.2 million in federal grants for bus replacements to help finance the Milwaukee County Transit System's transition to an electric fleet. If the county secures the full grant awards it's applying for, that would pay for 32 battery-electric buses and 60 clean-diesel buses.[18]

The East-West BRT... now known as MCTS Connect is a 9-mile upcoming route that will serve the region's most traveled corridor. The BRT route will run primarily along Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee and Bluemound Road in Wauwatosa, connecting riders from Downtown Milwaukee and Marquette University to the west side of the city to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC).[27] Its goal is to connect thousands of people to and from work, universities and recreational centers. It will feature battery-electric buses which will receive traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, special bus shelters with ramps for accessibility, and dedicated travel lanes along portions of the route.[28] In late 2018, the project design was finalized, and subsequently received federal approval.[29] As of December 2020, MCTS is expecting to utilize a Small Starts Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration, which accounts for $40.9 million of the $55 million project.[30] Soon, MCTS is expected to select a construction contractor, with construction beginning in Spring 2021. On March 11, 2021, MCTS announced they selected Nova Bus as the manufacturer of 15 LFSe+ battery-electric buses, 11 of which will be used for the new BRT line. MCTS is the first transit system in the United States to be awarded a contract for Nova LFSe+ buses.[31][32] The first 11 buses are expected to arrive between November 2022 and early 2023, then placed into service on June 4, 2023. the remaining 4 buses would be delivered by the end of 2023. It is estimated that by 2035, MCTS Connect would average more than 9,500 weekday riders, with overall transit ridership in the corridor increasing by 17%.[33]

Currently, Milwaukee County and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) are engaged in a study of the 27th Street Corridor with regard to along and in a half-mile radius of the PurpleLine. Similar to the East-West BRT project, there are a considerable amount of jobs, shopping centers and medical facilities along the PurpleLine. As a result, there are potential plans to improve transit along this corridor, which could mean expanding the PurpleLine as a BRT line or offering commuter rail or streetcar service. This project, which began in late 2020, intends to build off of the East-West BRT Project, possibly offering another high-frequency service route. While the current PurpleLine is already a pseudo-express route, it does not offer authentic express service for the majority of the route, as on average, stops are 0.2 miles apart. This is one of the aspects of transit in this corridor that this project will address.[34] The preliminary project plan has the feasibility study ending in 2021, with a concept being presented to the Federal Transit Administration in 2022. From there, funding will be considered and from 2023 to 2025, construction of the new service will begin. Early on, it is estimated that whatever form this service takes, whether it be bus rapid transit, streetcar or commuter rail, service would start around 2026 or 2027.[35]