About The Public Policy Forum The Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum, established in 1913 as a local government watchdog, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of government and the development of Southeastern Wisconsin through objective research of regional public policy issues. Preface and Acknowledgments This report was undertaken to provide citizens, policymakers, and business leaders with information about potential strategies for improving transportation connections for the regional workforce to places of employment throughout the Milwaukee metropolitan area. We hope that policymakers and community leaders will use the report’s findings to inform discussions during upcoming policy debates, budget deliberations, and civic gatherings regarding public transportation services and strategies in our region. Report authors would like to thank the leadership and staff of the Milwaukee County Transit System, Ozaukee County Transit Services, Waukesha Metro Transit, and the many other organizations in the Milwaukee area and throughout the country that provided us with information and insight. Those organizations include Bublr Bike Share; City of Centennial, CO; Denver Regional Transportation District; Denver South Transportation Management Association; Innova EV; Kansas City Area Transportation Authority; Menomonee Valley Partners; Milwaukee Careers Cooperative; Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority; Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission; Salem-Keizer Transit; Shared Use Mobility Center; Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC); and SouthWest Transit. Finally, we wish to thank MetroGO! for commissioning this report, with support from Bader Philanthropies, Waukesha County, Menomonee Valley Business Improvement District, Commercial Association of REALTORS® WI, and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. We also thank Bader Philanthropies for its general financial support of our workforce development research. The Last Mile C o n n e c t i n g w o r k e r s to places of employment March 2017 Report Author: Joe Peterangelo, Senior Researcher Rob Henken, President Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Background .................................................................................................................................................. 5 MCTS Finances: A Brief Summary........................................................................................................... 8 Last Mile Strategies – Present & Past .................................................................................................... 11 Shuttle Routes ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Shared-Ride Taxi Services .................................................................................................................... 13 Bikes on Buses ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Bike Sharing .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Additional Services ................................................................................................................................ 18 Summary & Observations ..................................................................................................................... 18 Last Mile Strategies to Consider .............................................................................................................. 20 Strategy #1: Flexible Transit ................................................................................................................. 20 Strategy #2: Ride-Hailing ...................................................................................................................... 22 Strategy #3: Micro-Transit .................................................................................................................... 26 Strategy #4: Bike Sharing ..................................................................................................................... 27 Strategy #5: Employer Shuttles............................................................................................................ 30 Summary & Observations ..................................................................................................................... 33 A Closer Look: Flexible Transit & Ride-Hailing ......................................................................................... 34 Flexible Transit ...................................................................................................................................... 35 Ride-hailing ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Summary & Observations ..................................................................................................................... 47 Local Area Studies .................................................................................................................................... 49 Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley ......................................................................................................... 49 New Berlin ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 60 Appendix .................................................................................................................................................... 64 2 Introduction In 2013, the Public Policy Forum published Getting to Work, a report that explored efforts to connect Milwaukee County residents with major job locations in the region via public transit.1 The report identified several common barriers, including one known as the “last mile” problem, which can arise when transit services allow individuals to get relatively close – but not all the way – to their job sites. This challenge is particularly common in suburban areas, where jobs are more dispersed and difficult for the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) and suburban transit systems to serve efficiently, but it also can arise in some parts of the city that are difficult to reach by transit. The last mile problem has generated considerable discussion recently among local elected officials and civic leaders who comprise the leadership of MetroGO!, a regional nonprofit organization dedicated to improving transportation connections between workers and employers in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Those conversations led MetroGO! to commission this study. Milwaukee is far from alone in trying to address the last mile problem. Metro areas throughout the U.S. are grappling with a range of related challenges that limit regional mobility and are experimenting with a variety of solutions. The Salt Lake City and Los Angeles metro areas, for example, have developed comprehensive studies that evaluate possible strategies for addressing both first mile and last mile problems in their regions.23 (First mile problems exist in areas where the nearest transit stop is not within walking distance of an individual’s home.) Even metro areas with robust transit systems, like Boston, are struggling to find solutions.4 This report analyzes options for improving last mile transportation connections for the regional workforce in metro Milwaukee, with a particular focus on reducing transportation barriers for City of Milwaukee residents seeking employment opportunities throughout the region. Primary research questions include the following: What last mile services currently are available or have been tried in the past in the Milwaukee area and what are their strengths, limitations, and future potential? What additional last mile strategies are other metro areas using that could be considered for adaptation and implementation in metro Milwaukee? How are last mile services that may be relevant to metro Milwaukee typically designed, what are their benefits and costs, and how are they being financed? 1 Public Policy Forum. “Getting to Work: Opportunities and obstacles to improving transit service to suburban Milwaukee job hubs.” December 2013. http://publicpolicyforum.org/sites/default/files/GettingToWork.pdf 2 Southern California Association of Governments. “Maximizing Mobility in Los Angeles – First & Last Mile Strategies.” December 2009. http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/harvested/ocm643392063.pdf 3 Utah Transit Authority. April 2015. https://www.rideuta.com/-/media/Files/Studies- Reports/UTAFirst_LastMileFINALCOMP1.ashx 4 Sweeney, Emily. “Making it that ‘final mile’ to work in suburbia.” Boston Globe. January 29, 2016. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2016/01/29/making-that-final-mile-work- suburbia/6FsC7Rcz63dgZ2nGfqaDNL/story.html 3 Despite the fact that the last mile problem is ubiquitous across the country, the national research on potential solutions is relatively thin. In addition, transit systems are experimenting with a range of new partnerships with