Finance committee drops Uber/Lyft pilot, redirects $35,000 to van relief program for transit operators

The Milwaukee County Committee on Finance voted to end plans for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) pilot for operator relief and instead repurpose the $35,000 budget toward a van-based relief pilot for Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) operators.

MCTS Chief Operating Officer Kevin Pumphrey told the committee the TNC pilot would have covered 23 rides per day at $10 per ride — about $6,150 per week — and that the $35,000 budget would likely be exhausted in roughly six weeks. "Given those results ... the cost of the relief rides and the funding for this pilot program is estimated to be exhausted within 6 weeks. We're recommending that this pilot not be implemented," Pumphrey said.

The pilot recommendation prompted public comment and union testimony. Michael Brown of ATU Local 998 told the committee the union opposed the TNC approach and favored a van relief model already in limited use at some stations. Brown said the van program focuses on getting operators from stations to relief points to improve safety and on-time performance, and criticized the $35,000 estimate as insufficient for a TNC approach.

Supervisors Tobias Martinez and Tobias Balinski introduced an amendment to repurpose the $35,000 from the TNC pilot to expenses related to a van relief pilot, including operator wages, fuel and vehicle maintenance. Supervisor Balinski moved the amendment; the roll call on the amendment was Supervisor Steve Taylor (District 17) No; Martinez Aye; Balinski Aye; Anne O'Connor Aye; Chair Willie Johnson Aye (4 ayes, 1 no). The committee then voted to adopt the underlying file as amended; the final roll call on adoption as amended matched the amendment vote (4 ayes, 1 no).

The committee's action directs the $35,000 originally budgeted for the TNC pilot to the van relief pilot and adopts the underlying budget amendment as amended. Committee members discussed broader transit funding and operational challenges, including vehicle orders and ongoing negotiations with ATU Local 998 regarding vans and staffing.

The vote short-circuited plans to test Uber/Lyft/HopSkipJump-style rides for operator relief at the originally proposed funding level and instead consolidates county support behind a van-based pilot the union and transit staff described as focused on operator safety and reliable relief points. The action does not create long-term recurring funding; the repurposed $35,000 is a one-time allocation tied to the current 2025 adopted budget amendment.

Implementation and follow-up: MCTS staff and union representatives indicated continued negotiations related to broader relief strategies and vehicle procurement. The committee did not specify additional ongoing funding beyond the $35,000 reallocation in the amended item.

Ending: The committee approved the amended resolution by a 4–1 vote; Supervisor Taylor was the sole dissenting vote. The committee's action moves support away from a short-term TNC-based pilot toward a van relief pilot intended to provide targeted relief and improve operator safety and on-time performance.