Green Bay Metro

History

From 1916 through 1972, the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS), a privately owned utility company, provided streetcar and bus service in the Green Bay Metropolitan Area. In the late 1960s, bus ridership decreases combined with rising expenses forced WPS to reduce deficits by cutting back on service. Service cutbacks, in turn, contributed to further decreases in ridership and even greater revenue losses, resulting in a downward spiral of service, ridership, and revenue. In April 1972, WPS offered to sell the bus company to the city of Green Bay with an agreement to reimburse the city for the full purchase price of $270,000 in the form of an operating subsidy over a five-year period. In January 1973, WPS was granted the right to discontinue bus service in the Green Bay Metropolitan Area, at which time the city of Green Bay leased the bus system from WPS through the remainder of 1973. This action avoided a discontinuance of service and allowed time for the city to create the Transit Commission, consider alternative plans for the system developed by the Brown County Planning Commission (BCPC), and prepare for a public referendum on the purchase of the system. On April 3, 1973, 71 percent of the public voted in favor on a referendum calling for the purchase of the system from WPS. In July 2015, Greyhound Bus service was added to the Green Bay Metro Transit terminal after Greyhound Lines moved from their old bus station located between Cedar Street and Main Street.

Operations

The bus transit system service method used in the Green Bay area is called a “radial pulse” system. The system is called “radial” because the layout of the routes brings all buses to the downtown transitway and then radiates them out in a spoke-like fashion to cover the service area. It is called a “pulse” system because all routes are timed to arrive at the downtown transitway at regular intervals, allowing for transfers with little or no waiting. This type of system has been in operation since 1937.

Most routes either begin/end their route or "transfer", or stop for a period of typically 5–8 minutes, at several hubs around the area known as "Transfer Points". There are currently four transfer points within this area:

According to several annual reports for Green Bay Metro, an east side transfer point is being considered. In public meetings held in relation to the creation of routes 9 Tan and 13 River (along with modifications to several routes), 2015 Transit Director Patty Kiewiz had stated that there will be a study conducted on the east side when asked about the addition of an east side transfer point. In August 2015, the East Side Study had been published to the Brown County website.

The system does not operate on Sunday.

On a five-year average the city of Green Bay has a total estimated budget for transportation of $7,770,111 with the city itself contributing $1,395,894. The remainder of the budget comes from federal and state funding as well as other revenue. The 2014 Green Bay Final Budget shows the Bus Operations having $6,255,258 in expenses and $1,079,500 in revenue. This adds up to a $5,175,758 deficit for 2014.

Regular Service

Routes that typically run from 5:15am–9:45pm weekdays, and 7:15am–6:45pm Saturdays. These routes are not serviced on Sundays, nor on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas.

Packers Gameday Routes

Packers Gameday Routes are bus routes that only operate on the day of a Green Bay Packers football game being played at home. Instead of using the Transportation Center, these routes all begin and end at Lambeau Field.

Limited Service

All of these limited service routes operate on regularly scheduled school days. Routes 65-77 run on regularly scheduled Green Bay Area School District, Notre Dame Academy, and De Pere School District school days. 78 is the only limited service bus in Ashwaubenon and runs on regularly scheduled Ashwaubenon School District school days.

Bus Fleet