Madison Metro makes bus route changes after hundreds of questions and complaints

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - After hundreds of questions and complaints, Madison’s Metro Transit System is adjusting. This comes two months after the redesign of the system.

Based on passenger feedback, 11 routes will be modified on Sunday.

“I’ve been late to work once, but mostly it’s getting home that’s harder,” commuter Ivy Smith said. “You might get home 40 minutes later than you expected, which is a lot of the time of your day.” Smith works at the UW School of Medicine and sometimes takes the bus to work.

The bus route she uses on University Avenue is in the middle of a construction zone. She says the bus wait times are confusing.

“It’s been a little bit mixed, so if I take the A bus, it’s fairly easy, but there’s also a B bus and that transfers to the C and sometimes that will be late, but the new bus will depart a couple minutes early,” she said. “You can see it right there but it’s departing early and you miss it.”

Some of the passenger frustrations led the Metro administration to make changes to the routes. Marketing and Customer Service Manager Mick Rusch explains the feedback helps his team spot the issues.

“The last time I looked, we went to the Transportation Commission and we gave them a list of our feedback and I believe we have 370 to 400 items on there that we shared with them that we received,” Rusch said.

Starting Sunday, Route E will pick up passengers in 30 minute intervals instead of every hour. Route O will have additional buses en route near the UW campus.

“There’s some areas over at UW Hospital that we’re improving,” he said. “And extending in a route over there and adding some more trips into that schedule. We’re doing that as well on the Route 38.”

Smith says not all the new routes are on Google Maps. She mentions the importance of knowing where you’re going.

“Having more frequent stops is great, but also having like a realistic idea of how long it’s going to take to get to that bus stop and what that bus stop is if you’re walking a way would help a lot,” Smith said. “I don’t mind the walking but being able to plan for it makes a big difference.”

Metro Transit will host a session for the public to provide more feedback in September.

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