Report says bus ridership in Milwaukee is down

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A new report shows fewer people are riding buses in some Wisconsin communities, and transportation experts say the decline is due to cuts in funding and services.

The American Public Transportation Association released figures Monday, March 10th -- showing more Americans are using public transportation. The largest increases are in people riding the train.

The number of people riding public buses is holding fairly steady nationwide.

But in Wisconsin cities like Milwaukee and Racine, ridership is down.

Al Stanek is the parking and transit systems manager for the city of Racine. He says one reason ridership declined there is the transit service cut bus routes to save money in light of state funding cuts. Stanek says the Belle Urban System has reduced its hours by more than 10 percent in two years.