Southeast Wisconsin Transit System was a marketing partnership of five public transit agencies covering the

Greater Milwaukee The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeastern Wisconsin, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding area. There are several defini ...

Area in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. These operators provided local or intercounty commuter service in the counties of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Racine,

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 census. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Ke ...

, and Waukesha. Washington County and Ozaukee County were formerly a part of the partnership until 2023 and 2024 when their county boards respectively elected to discontinue their transit service without replacement. The partnership is not exclusive, each agency or company maintains separate marketing departments and advertising programs. The partnership did not include joint or coordinated operations, interline fares or transfers, coordinated grant or funding, or coordinated expense sharing as that type of cooperation would be barred by state law. A Wisconsin state law passed in 2011 authored by

Stephen Nass Stephen L. Nass (born October 7, 1952) is an American Republican politician from Whitewater, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 11th Senate district since 2015. He previously served 24 years in the Wisconsin S ...

and signed by then governor Scott Walker prohibits regional transportation authorities effectively barring agencies from creating formal alliances and funding agreements.https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/republicans-work-to-dissolve-state-regional-transit-authorities/article_52823a08-3a36-11e0-ae6b-001cc4c002e0.html Repercussions from that 2011 law and the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic have resulted in significant reductions of service particularly in the

WOW Counties The WOW counties are three counties in the southeast of the U.S. state of Wisconsin: Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington. They are to the west, north, and northwest of Milwaukee, respectively, and are part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. D ...

of suburban Milwaukee. As of Summer 2025 the Southwest Wisconsin Transit System as a formal entity ceases to exist, it is not clear when the organization disbanded.

Former Members

Milwaukee County Transit System The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is the largest transit agency in Wisconsin, and is the primary transit provider for Milwaukee County. It ranks among the top 50 transit agencies in the United States for total passenger trips. Milwauke ...

(Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties) * Waukesha Metro Transit (Waukesha local and Milwaukee commuter service) * Ryde Racine (Racine; commuter service to Milwaukee and Kenosha counties) * Kenosha Transit (Kenosha) *

Western Kenosha County Transit Western Kenosha County Transit is a regional bus service operating route deviation and door-to-door service throughout Kenosha County, Wisconsin, mainly serving the rural areas west of Interstate 94. Western Kenosha County Transit runs a weekda ...

(Kenosha, operated by Kenosha County) * Ozaukee County Commuter Express (Defunct as of June 28th, 2024) *

Washington County Commuter Express Washington County Commuter Express was a contracted transportation service that provided service between Milwaukee and Washington counties. WCCE, which was a partner in the Southeast Wisconsin Transit System, was funded by Washington County and o ...

(Richfield; commuter service between Milwaukee and Washington counties) (Defunct as of September, 2023)

References

External links

Official website
{{Southeast Wisconsin Transit System Bus transportation in Wisconsin Intermodal transportation authorities in Wisconsin