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Parent | City of Madison |
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Headquarters | 1245 E. Washington Ave. |
Locale | Madison, Wisconsin |
Service area | 72 square miles |
Service type | Bus service, Paratransit |
Destinations | Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Monona (future), Shorewood Hills, Verona, McFarland, Sun Prairie |
Hubs |
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Fleet | 154 fixed-route buses, 27 paratransit vehicles |
Annual ridership | 8,379,362 (2022) |
Fuel type | Low Sulfur diesel, Hybrid diesel-electric, and some battery-operated electric buses (active 2020) |
Operator | City of Madison |
General Manager | Justin Stuehrenberg |
Website | www |
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, 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. Metro previously also provided services to middle schools but the middle schools have switched to yellow buses. 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 and Sun Prairie Shared Taxi Shuttle. [5] [ better source needed ]
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. [6]
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. [7] 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. [8]
On June 11, 2023, the route network was overhauled to one with fewer routes and more frequent service. [9] The four transfer points were eliminated from the network, 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. [10] [11]
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.
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. [12] [13]
Metro Transit is also creating a bus rapid transit system. [14] Buses will arrive on BRT lines every 5-15 minutes on weekdays. [15] Metro is creating two BRT lines. The east-west line will replace Route A. Metro is also creating a north-south line which will replace Route B in 2026 or 2027.
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]
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.
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 | |||
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 |
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. [19] [20] Route S runs 7 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.
Route | Terminals | Major Streets | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
S | Sun Prairie Park & Ride (counterclockwise loop) | 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) | 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 |
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. [21]
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) | Memorial Union, Langdon St, Johnson St, Gorham St, State St, Southeast Dorms, Kohl Center, Broom St, Bassett St | Late night service 6 PM - 3 AM |
82 | Memorial Union (loop) | Memorial Union (loop) | Memorial Union, Observatory Dr, Walnut St, University Ave, Breeze Terrace, Regent St, Park St, Lake St | Late night 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 |
Each vehicle listed below has 1 or 2 pictures of famous paintings displayed inside near the front of the bus.
Ridership | Change over previous year | |
---|---|---|
2013 [25] | 15,001,760 | n/a |
2014 [26] | 15,492,317 | ![]() |
2015 [27] | 14,632,229 | ![]() |
2016 [28] | 13,584,517 | ![]() |
2017 [29] | 13,108,095 | ![]() |
2018 [30] | 13,385,628 | ![]() |
2019 [31] | 12,969,815 | ![]() |
2020 [32] | 4,755,375 | ![]() |
2021 [33] | 5,458,011 | ![]() |
2022 [34] | 8,379,362 | ![]() |
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