Waukesha Metro presented proposed service reductions that would take effect Jan. 12, 2026, including a roughly 16% cut in weekday hours on Route 1 and schedule trims across Routes 5, 6, 9 and 15. Commissioners opened a public hearing, heard no public comments, closed the hearing and voted to accept the proposed changes for review.

The proposed changes would reduce weekday buses on Route 1 from five to four, lengthening wait times by about four minutes on weekdays and about eight minutes on Saturdays. Weekday service would start 15 minutes later at 5:30 a.m. and end at 11:30 p.m.; Saturday service would begin an hour later and Sunday service would end at 9:00 p.m. Metro Lift service hours would be adjusted to mirror Route 1's new hours.

The changes aim to reduce costs. Transit staff said Milwaukee County and Waukesha County together fund more than 70% of Route 1 and that Milwaukee County asked the operator to identify savings. Commissioners were told Route 1 carries "over 700 rides per weekday," and staff estimated the cuts would affect a relatively small number of riders while producing meaningful savings for the system.

Route 6, identified by staff as the system's lowest-performing line, would lose its final weekday trip, the last two Saturday trips and the last three Sunday trips; midday and weekend service to Badger Drive would be limited to weekday peak periods. Route 5 would lose a couple of Sunday trips while still serving the Shops at Fox River. Route 9 would have its final Saturday trip (5:55 a.m.) removed. On Route 15, the schedule would revert from a 45-minute to a 60-minute cycle because construction on the East Bypass has made the shorter schedule difficult to meet; the first inbound trip (about 6:15–6:17 a.m.) would also be eliminated due to very low ridership.

At the public hearing, no members of the public provided comments. One commissioner with a background in health care asked whether the early- and late-shift ridership patterns had been analyzed; staff replied those specific shift patterns were not separately measured but said the early and late trips in question typically carry very few riders (staff said one early bus had about three riders and a late 11:30 p.m. trip had "virtually none"). Staff also said Milwaukee County had been part of the discussions and requested the cost reductions.

The commission first voted to close the public hearing (motion carried; recorded ayes included Steve Cassens, Kevin Riley and Rodell). The commission then voted to accept the proposed service changes for review (motion by Kevin Riley; second recorded; motion passed with recorded ayes including Cassens, Kevin Riley and O'Donnell). No additional public comment or amendments were recorded at the meeting.

The action to accept the proposed changes was presented as the commission's next step; the matter will return to the commission for any final approvals or further adjustments after the review process.