No more free rides on Milwaukee County buses

Free-fare GO Pass rides on Milwaukee County buses will end in June and more than 40% of the users will lose their eligibility, transit officials said Wednesday in announcing the changes.

The GO Pass has provided an average of 600,000 free rides each month since April 2015 — an estimated total of more than 13.5 million over the course of the program — for county residents who are disabled or 65 years of age and older.

In letters to be mailed Friday to 27,000 GO Pass holders, the Milwaukee County Transit System will alert nearly 41% of them that they will lose access to the program under new financial eligibility rules.

Fully 11,000 of the electronic GO Pass cards will be turned off June 12, MCTS spokesman Brendan Conway said.

Here are the new financial eligibility guidelines: County residents 65 years and older must be receiving Medicaid or state FoodShare benefits to be eligible for the program; county residents under the age of 65 must receive Social Security income through SSI or SSDI, or have a veteran's disability designation, and receive Medicaid or FoodShare benefits.

The remaining 16,000 Go Pass holders will be notified they are eligible for the program.

"Riders who do not qualify for the GO Pass may be eligible for the MCTS reduced fare of $1.10 a ride, $2 for a 1-day pass, or $32 for a 31-day pass," Conway said. Those passengers can visit the MCTS Administration Building at 1942 N. 17th St., or more than 90 sales outlets, to receive an M-Card with their reduced fares.

RELATED: Changes coming to Go Pass for county transit

Beginning June 26, all GO Pass holders will pay a $1 daily fare. This will be collected the first time they board a bus each day.

That same day, administration of the GO Pass program will be transferred to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1220 W. Vliet St. MCTS will no longer issue new GO Passes.

Since Jan. 1, new program participants have paid a $5 card fee to enroll in the program.

Both the $5 application fee and the $1 daily fare were approved in the 2017 Milwaukee County budget.

"These changes will allow us to continue this important program while also helping to support the sustainability of the transit system," Conway said. "MCTS provides 40 million rides a year to people to get to work, school, job training, medical appointments and activities across the county."

The $1 daily fare for GO Pass users is expected to yield $2.15 million a year, according to budget documents. Transportation officials had estimated that continued use of the free pass would reduce fare revenue by $4 million in 2017 without the changes.

The $5 card fee is expected to generate $88,000 in revenue this year, Conway said.