Milwaukee County’s paratransit program has turned into a slow-rolling crisis. Riders say trips are late or never show, union leaders say drivers are being pushed to the brink, and county documents show the service blowing through its budget. At the center of it all is TransitPlus, the county’s paratransit contract now operated by Transdev after its acquisition of First Transit. The turmoil has already triggered service cuts and emergency budget moves, and the people relying on these vans for work, medical appointments and groceries are the ones getting left in the lurch, as reported by Milwaukee County.
County report: productivity problems are driving up the bill
In a December informational memo to the county board, Milwaukee County officials walked through key performance indicators and warned that weak productivity is fueling cost overruns. The memo sets a productivity target of 1.70 passengers per service hour and says actual performance has fallen short, which in turn generates extra billed hours and higher costs to the county, according to Milwaukee County. The same report notes that MCTS is helping the contractor explore alternative scheduling software as a possible fix. Because the county pays a negotiated rate per service hour, every dip in passengers-per-hour directly inflates program spending and blows a hole in the budget.
Budget shortfall triggers cuts to bus service
Milwaukee County projected a $10.9 million shortfall for 2025 and flagged Transdev contract overruns as a major driver: roughly $3.4 million, according to a county budget filing. Milwaukee County details the agency’s corrective actions, and MCTS publicly announced fall service reductions starting Aug. 24, 2025 to help close the gap. The agency also said it will tap remaining federal pandemic funds and chase a mix of operational and contracting fixes while working with its vendors.
Union complaints and riders left waiting
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 says that over the past year it gathered dozens of driver complaints describing forced overtime, denied lunch breaks and being scheduled to work on contracted days off. The local’s vice president says those complaints led to unfair labor practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board in December. Michael Brown, vice president of ATU Local 998, told Urban Milwaukee the union tried to give the company time to resolve problems but moved ahead with charges after promised fixes never materialized.
Drivers’ accounts, which include allegations of 13-hour workdays and missed lunches, are echoed in rider stories of late pick-ups and canceled medical trips. One widely discussed case involved a rider with diabetes who missed an insulin dose and became ill after a paratransit trip fell through.
What the county and contractor say
MCTS’s public materials and official filings emphasize that the agency is engaging with the vendor on performance, reviewing options and tracking contract KPIs while it looks for remedies. MCTS announced the fall service reductions and said leadership is pursuing a mix of fiscal measures and operational changes to stabilize the system.
Transdev has told county officials it is struggling to maintain staffing levels, and the county’s own report notes that the company is exploring alternative scheduling software in an attempt to narrow the gap between what the contract expects and what riders are actually getting.
Legal fight and what comes next
The union’s NLRB filing creates a legal front alongside the ongoing contract negotiations and performance reviews by county staff. Those talks include discussions of incentives, liquidated damages and other remedies laid out in the original procurement. County budget documents show officials have weighed several options, ranging from tougher performance enforcement to software and scheduling changes, and they have signaled that remaining federal funds will be used as a temporary plug while longer-term reforms take shape…