If the County supervisors vote to approve that 25% reduction, we are kicking off a one-way freefall. We watched helplessly as Route 80 service was hacked off at Florist Avenue and north, effectively marooning riders and commuters who depend on that section of the route. We’ve seen hours slashed from the critical service Route 12 offers. 
 
We’ve personally felt the financial squeeze of a fare hike of over 37% to $2.75 per ride. 
 
— Milwaukee Will Plunge Into An Economic Crisis. Thousands of working men and women will suddenly find themselves severed from their last available lifeline—the schoolhouse or the doctor’s office. They will be stranded in Milwaukee County. — Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel. It will destroy a single point of connection to employment for Milwaukee County’s workers and also affect their schoolhouses and their doctors’ offices, eliminating thousands of good jobs for working people. And now, instead of fixing what's broken, Milwaukee County seems poised to destroy the whole thing. MCTS recently announced what I’m calling a truly catastrophically proposed 25% cut to system hours beginning in 2027. Just to put this number in perspective, when New York City's behemoth MTA faced its historic "Doomsday" budget cuts back in 2010 due to a cash crisis, overall service cuts amounted to a mere 2%-4%. 
 
What Milwaukee County is proposing would be six to twelve times as devastating. 
 
If our County supervisors allow this 25% cut to go through, we'll trigger an irreversible, inevitable downward spiral for our transit system. This is what that downward spiral looks like: - Transit Deserts: Entire neighborhoods will be cut off from reliable access, leaving residents who don’t drive completely isolated. - Extreme Crowding & Long Waits: The few routes that remain will be brutally overcrowded. Buses will be packed “standing room only,” and the wait times to get even a ride to the grocery store or to take a college class will expand exponentially. - Economic Devastation: Thousands of working people will lose their one reliable link to their jobs, the schoolhouse and their doctors, severely crippling Milwaukee County’s workforce. 
 
This isn't a money problem, it's a priorities problem. As the county claims "no sustainable funding" for MCTS and prepares to leave riders out to dry, simultaneously the state (WisDOT) is forging ahead with an audacious $1.7 billion project to widen a mere 3.5 miles of I-94. It is fundamentally unconscionable to pour over a billion dollars into pavement for car drivers while leaving the working people, students, and seniors of Milwaukee County high and dry. 
 
If our state and county governments can find the political will to invest in highway expansions at that scale, they must be able to find the political will to invest in reliable, safe, efficient, affordable public transit for all residents. 
 
We pay fares. We pay taxes. We rely on these buses every single day. Daily riders, though, seem to consistently be the last thought. 
 
Public transportation is not a luxury – it is a vital human need and the lifeline of working families, students and seniors in Milwaukee County. 
 
"Right-sizing" is just a polite word for letting our transit system decay and die. By continuously opting to shrink our system instead of fight for dedicated, sustainable state funding, our county leaders are actively choosing to strand us. We, the undersigned riders and residents of Milwaukee County, call upon our elected County Supervisors and our state leaders to: Stop the proposed 25% service cut to begin in 2027. 
 
Secure a local funding source to end the structural budget deficit facing MCTS and adequately fund transit service. Reinstate service to key local transit lines, like Route 80 north of Florist Avenue and establish robust service frequency across the county grid. We deserve a transit system that serves us all, and that truly serves the people who keep this county moving. 
 
Add your name and help send the message to the Milwaukee County Board: NO MORE CUTS!