Milwaukee's The Hop ridership; July sees lower numbers amid RNC, Bastille Days

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee’s streetcar took a dip in ridership in July, amid two major city events.

The Hop saw 63,383 riders in the month of July, a nearly 30% dip compared to July 2023. It averaged 2,045 riders a day.

Streetcar System Manager Andrew Davis-Lockward shared the number at a Public Works Committee meeting. He said July is The Hop’s busiest month.

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This was not only during the Republican National Convention, but Bastille Days.

The Hop streetcar

"Bastille Days arguably [was] hurt by the convention as well," Davis-Lockward said. "Because all that security fencing was up and all the police were running around and people were just saying 'I'm staying away from downtown.’"

Bastille Days saw a 35% drop in weekend ridership compared to the year prior, amid security measures during the RNC.

"It’s ironic, because that was one of the conditions of the [RNC] contract," Alderman Jonathan Brostoff said. "That we maintain ridership for The Hop. Remember that?"

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Despite the RNC numbers, there were big increases during Summerfest and the Milwaukee Air and Water Show.

Additionally, the month of July saw the biggest number of ridership for 2024 so far. Davis-Lockward said they are on track to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.