Keenan Wilturner is in a bad mood, shivering at a bus stop, cursing under his frosted breath.
A few months ago, the 41-year-old father of two had two working vehicles. Then, his car and van crapped out in quick succession. Commuting on the bus – actually, taking two buses, both ways – takes an hour longer than driving direct from his North Side home to his job in Menomonee Falls.
Paying for a rideshare like Uber or Lyft every day is too costly as he saves up for a new car.
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FlexRide Milwaukee launched in 2022 after more than three years of off-and-on planning and research. The fleet of 12 minivans primarily serves working folks who live in the city but have jobs in exurban business parks.
Though FlexRide is operated by nonprofit MobiliSE as more of a “public good” than commercial ride-hailing services, the 24/5 service works basically like Uber or Lyft. Users request rides through a smartphone app.
In order to be more efficient, FlexRide’s pickups are primarily along main roads, and about half of rides are shared with other commuters. But FlexRide is considerably cheaper – at most, a one-time trip is $3, in line with a one-off bus fare. Rides overnight or from certain hubs where traditional bus routes meet are free.
And it has a leg up over bus systems because routes aren’t predetermined; riders will actually be dropped off at work, not a bus stop that may be blocks from their actual destination.
The program was developed by agencies like the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and academics from UW-Milwaukee. While thus far FlexRide has relied on subsidies from federal, local and state governments, it’s now propped up by organizations like the Waukesha County Business Alliance and Employ Milwaukee. These partnerships will be even more critical come 2025 when COVID-inspired ARPA funds expire.
FlexRide’s architects all told MilMag that microtransit isn’t really a permanent solution to the real problem: what they call a “spatial mismatch” with industrial parks distant from population centers. “We’ve built our cities to facilitate driving,” says Dave Steele, executive director of MobiliSE, “and new development is designed around cars.”
Until that changes, FlexRide – which was on pace to provide its 100,000th ride last month – is getting people like Wilturner to and from work today.
Learn more or download the app at flexridemke.com.
FlexRide Figures
12
Number of vehicles in FlexRide fleet
500
Number of FlexRide riders per month
5,000
Total monthly rides
28 Minutes
Average daily commute time savings for a Wisconsinite using a personal vehicle vs. public transit
$1.50-$3
Cost per trip for one-time rides. Weekly passes are $20, monthly passes are $70. All rides are half-price for seniors and or riders with a disability.
