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Transit staff: service hours to shrink by about one-third from pre-COVID levels; fleet to downsize by six buses
Summary
Staff told the Transit Commission that August service adjustments will reduce weekly service hours in Waukesha from just under 900 to just over 600 (about a one-third cut from 2020 levels), and the fixed fleet will be reduced by six buses over the next 3–4 years to save about $4 million in replacement costs.
Transit staff presented an overview of service-level changes at the June 18 meeting and said the system has implemented some changes that took effect June 15 and will introduce additional reductions in August (these August changes have already been approved by the council). Staff said the total weekly service hours in Waukesha will fall from just under 900 hours pre-COVID to just over 600 hours — about a one-third reduction — and that on an annualized basis service will be near 31,000 hours, the lowest level since about 1990.
Staff said the reductions are part of a multi-year effort to improve ridership efficiency: despite fewer hours, productivity (riders per hour) has increased about 45% since 2022. As a result of the operating changes, the agency plans to reduce its fixed-route fleet by six buses over time; staff said that will lower planned fleet replacement costs by roughly $4 million over three to four years.
Staff also flagged rising demand for MetroLift (the on-demand paratransit service), saying ridership is approaching about 15,000 rides — a level not seen since 2012 — and said the agency will request an additional MetroLift vehicle to meet demand while operating with a smaller fleet of fixed-route buses.
Staff indicated the council will receive a fuller presentation on these service and fleet changes at an upcoming summer meeting.
