Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is excited to announce free rides on the soon-to-launch CONNECT 1 Bus Rapid Transit line thanks to an exclusive sponsorship with Umo Mobility. Everyone—from Milwaukeeans, Wisconsin Center trade show attendees, festival-goers, Marquette students to MRMC patients, employees, visitors and more—can ride CONNECT 1 free from June 4th through September 30th as part of a sponsorship agreement between MCTS and Umo Mobility. Umo Mobility powers MCTS’s new fare collection system, WisGo. Umo’s sponsorship encourages riders to try the state’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line and underscore’s Umo’s commitment to regional mobility.
“MCTS and Umo services are aligned to grow regional connectivity. Waukesha Metro recently agreed to join the WisGo fare collection system, which is powered by Umo, and other regional transit agencies are considering it,” said MCTS President and Interim Managing Director Denise Wandke. “This sponsorship not only benefits our riders, but it also introduces the benefits of regional mobility to other transit agency riders across the state.”
Bonnie Crawford, general manager of Umo Mobility, said, “We’re proud to support the evolution of mobility across the state of Wisconsin with WisGo. Together CONNECT and WisGo will provide the communities served by MCTS with an improved transportation experience that is made to fit the needs of all riders regardless of how they pay. We wanted to make it easy to try the new BRT service and introduce riders to the many benefits of WisGo and the summer sponsorship was the perfect way to do both.”
“Umo has been a strong partner for MCTS. Before WisGo even launched, Umo helped by providing our riders with an early version of the Umo app when our existing app left the market on short notice,” said MCTS Chief Financial Officer Tim Hosch. “Since then, together we’ve seen the successful download of the Umo App by over 85,000 riders, with that number expected to double by year end.”
MCTS chose the Umo platform because it allows for an equitable payment option called fare capping, supports 45 languages, and offers information about multiple modes of transit. Hop riders, Bublr bike renters, and pedestrians can plan their rides using the Umo mobile app.
“Our riders tell us they want fast, reliable service, and CONNECT 1 will deliver,” said MCTS Marketing Director Kristina Hoffman. “Bus Rapid Transit is the future of mobility. Thanks to Umo, we hope everyone gets the chance to give CONNECT a try!”
MCTS CONNECT 1 is expected to increase overall transit ridership in the corridor. Ridership will be fueled by employers, tourism, learning institutions, and medical systems within the half-mile station area around the route. Another BRT route is currently under evaluation for the North-South Corridor along 27th Street in Milwaukee. Learn more at mkenorthsouth.com.
For more information about MCTS CONNECT, visit RideMCTS.com/CONNECT.