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April 15, 2012 by

Jobs Not Cuts! Rally for full funding to transit April 19, 2012

Facebook event link

The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union, in conjunction with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998, Wisconsin Jobs Now and Occupy Milwaukee will be holding a rally and march on April 19, 2012 at 4:00pm at the ATU Local 998 Hall.

We are proud to be working with such a diverse coalition on this event. This event is part of the Week of Action kicking off on Monday April 16.

This event also comes on the heels of the April 4 National Day of Action for Transit. The movement for transit justice in this community is moving forward in a big way.

What do we want?
We want a fully funded transit system. We demand the restoration of funds cut in Governor Walker’s 2011-2013 budget and the establishment of a dedicated funding source at the county or regional level. Milwaukee County still funds transit from the property tax, an outdated funding source that has resulted in 20% in service cuts over the past decade, cuts that have put the transit system in a death spiral.

When Governor Walker slashed the Milwaukee County Transit System’s state funding by 10% in his 2011-2013 budget, he left Milwaukee County with few options to maintain service levels. Milwaukee County narrowly averted disastrous cuts to the transit system last year that would have made 13,500 jobs inaccessible by transit. This was possible by the use of temporary two-year grants. If we do not solve the funding problems facing transit in this time frame we will be back at square one – with the potential of facing even more severe cuts. This comes at a time when at least 40,000 jobs have become inaccessible by transit since 2001 and 29.5% of Milwaukeeans are living at or below the poverty line.

The time to act is now.
It is important that Milwaukee bus riders take action now to protect the service we have left and fight for better bus service. We will be taking to the streets on April 19 to do just that. (Facebook event link)

When and where:

Thursday April 19, 2012 at 4:00pm
Meet up at the ATU Local 998 Hall at
734 North 26th Street
(26th/Wisconsin)


View Walking directions from 27th/Wisconsin to ATU 998 Hall in a larger map

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January 31, 2012 by

Thanks to volunteers for talking to bus riders

We would ike to extend a sincere thank you to the volunteers that showed up to help us talk to bus riders and pass out information and comment cards about the changes. Our face-to-face efforts helped people understand the changes.

You may have seen or heard us on WUWM, TMJ4 or FOX6, or read us in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel discussing our concerns with the GreenLine MetroEXpress, the service that replaced Route 15 on Oakland Avenue. We compared the new GreenLine schedules to the Route 15 schedules (prior to the changed routing) and found that service was scheduled to run significantly slower than the previous Route 15 service on Oakland between Wisconsin and Bayshore, despite MCTS removing roughly a dozen stops in each direction and increasing frequency. It is our position that since this service was marketed as a faster trip than the 15, it should be. The transit system countered by their Route 15 schedules were incorrect (even though they had made no prior efforts to correct them) and that the new service would be faster – while offering no proof of this.

As it stands now, a trip on the GreenLine from Wisconsin to Bayshore takes approximately 35-45 minutes. Of the three current routes that go to Bayshore from Downtown to Bayshore, the GreenLine is actually the slowest.

Bus Route Travel Time
Rt. 10 Cass/Wisconsin to Bayshore(The bus hits Cass roughly 3 minutes after it leaves Water/Wisconsin) 28-30 minutes
Rt. 15 Milwaukee/Wisconsin to Bayshore 19-32 minutes
GreenLine Water/Wisconsin to Bayshore 35-45 minutes

Eliminating stops and increasing frequency should have the opposite effect. The other two express routes, the BlueLine and RedLine, have eliminated stops and boosted frequency and as a result buses are running faster. Why can’t riders on the new GreenLine expect the same?

We think it may have something to do with the planning. Unlike the Red and Blue lines, the GreenLine was not designed to run alongside a local route. On the RedLine, for instance, it operates alongside Route 62. While Route 62 can accomodate the short-trip neighborhood riders, the RedLine can accomodate long-distance crosstown riders. The end result: buses don’t have to stop so often. This does not exist for the GreenLine – there is no local route, so all riders have to ride one bus; a bus that will make frequent stops. This is not express service.

In the coming months we will continue working hard for better transit in the region, more outreach and accountability to riders and solutions to the budget problems of MCTS. These changes were a creative use of a two-year grant. If we do not address the funding problems that MCTS has, we will be back at square one in two years’ time.

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February 13, 2011 by

Fact-checking Abele on transit

Milwaukee County Executive Candidate Chris Abele has largely avoided making definite statements on what he would like to do if Milwaukee County voters give him the opportunity to serve as County Executive, but he has emerged as hostile towards fixing Milwaukee County Transit System funding.

Abele has said “Tax increases are the first instinct of career politicians.”, although this solution did not come from a career politician. The transit sales tax was passed in 2008  by a grassroots effort known as the Quality of Life Alliance. The Milwaukee Transit Riders Union was a member of the Alliance, which pooled the resources of member groups to publicize and educate the public about the referendum and how it would save vital services (transit, parks, emergency medical services) while cutting property taxes. The referendum was to shift these services from being funded from the property tax to being funded by a sales tax. The property tax levy was to be cut by the same amount, so this wasn’t a tax increase either. The referendum was passed by Milwaukee County voters.

Abele wen further to say that instead of a dedicated funding source, the Milwaukee County Transit System needed to be run more efficiently. We believe firmly in an efficiently run transit system, but as long as the funding mechanism is broken the bus system will not be able to be run effecively. Milwaukee has the last major transit system in America still funded by property taxes. Other cities stop using property taxes to fund public transit decades ago.

Abele’s claims that increased efficiency are a substitute for a stable funding source are disingenuous. The 2011 transit budget is $150 million. Any cuts from MCTS management and clerical services and staffing would be minimal. In fact, the Milwaukee County Transit System has the lowest percentage of administration employees of all of it’s peer transit systems. MCTS also has one of the nation’s highest farebox return ratios in the country, meaning that fares fund a larger share of the budget than most other transit systems. The Public Policy Forum has the following to say about the efficiency of the Milwaukee County Transit System:

The cost effectiveness of MCTS buses was best among peer systems in 2006 based on data
from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration,
indicating that further cost savings due to efficiency improvements may be limited.

The Milwaukee County Transit System is a vital service to the community and we need real solutions to it’s funding problems rather than such blatant political posturing.

Reminder:
There will be a primary election for Milwaukee County Executive on Tuesday February 15, 2011. For any additional information call the Milwaukee Election Commission at (414) 286-VOTE.

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