Suburban Milwaukee Using Innovative Last Mile Solution

Milwaukee is getting urban residents to suburban jobs through an innovative project funded by the American Rescue Plan and a state workforce development grant.

Waukesha County, Wisconsin, located directly West of Milwaukee County, is home to the central offices of major corporate employers like Kohl’s, GE Healthcare, and Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Its suburban and exurban households earn, on average, almost twice the annual income of Milwaukee residents.

City-To-Suburbs Transit Service Planning Large Expansion

A micro-transit service connecting Milwaukee residents to jobs in suburban communities called FlexRide is planning to expand its service area in 2023.

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The service was developed by MobiliSE as a low-cost, on-demand transportation option that connects Milwaukee residents to jobs in Waukesha County. It launched on a pilot basis in 2022.

FlexRide service linking Milwaukeeans without cars with suburban jobs expanding as demand surges

The FlexRide Milwaukee program that helps Milwaukee residents without cars reach jobs in the suburbs is expanding this year to new communities in eastern Waukesha County and likely to Franklin.

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Started as a pilot program in March 2022, FlexRide saw a 400% increase in ridership in the last six months of the year, and now serves 200 to 250 workers at a time...

City-To-Suburbs Transit Service Expanding With $4.2 Million State Grant

FlexRide, a new micro-transit service designed to connect city residents to suburban jobs, has been awarded a $4.2 million grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). The service launched earlier this year with limited funding.

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MobiliSE receives over $4M from state to expand FlexRide Milwaukee rideshare program

MobiliSE received a more than $4 million grant from the state of Wisconsin June 29 to expand FlexRide Milwaukee, a pilot rideshare program that provides free to low-cost rides to individuals traveling to jobs in the Menomonee Falls and Butler areas. 

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The grant will help sustain the program, which started three months ago, and expand it to the south and west suburbs of Milwaukee in 2023, according to a press release.

FlexRide commuter program for Milwaukee residents is growing, but has room for more passengers

FlexRide is a pilot program that offers adult job holders low-cost rides in a car from the north or northwest side of Milwaukee to Butler and Menomonee Falls, and back home. It's meant to help people who don't have a vehicle or have other transportation barriers that make it hard to hold a job in those suburbs.

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About 400 people have applied and been approved for the program, according to Eric Lynde of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

Discount rides to work: Program offers $1.50 deal for rideshare service

As gas prices spike, there's a new pilot program offering rides to work for just $1.50, or sometimes even for free.

It's called FlexRide. 

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The program is designed to connect workers in Milwaukee with jobs in Waukesha County. FlexRide now has an app that works similar to other rideshare operations. Except this one is exclusively for rides from Milwaukee's north side to companies in Butler and Menomonee Falls.

'FlexRide' service offers $1.50 rides for Milwaukee residents to job opportunities

A transportation service connects Milwaukee neighborhoods with businesses in the Menomonee Falls and the Butler area. FlexRide Milwaukee held a demonstration event at Employ Milwaukee on Wednesday to show people how the service works.

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Employers were in attendance, as well as drivers for test rides. Those who attended were able to complete the registration process on the spot. The event also helped people get connected with jobs that you can get to with FlexRide.

FlexRide connecting Milwaukee residents to suburban job opportunities

Every week day on the corner of 52nd and Capitol, Richard Ellis waits for his ride to work. Ellis just moved to Milwaukee about a month ago from Chicago and he said initially, he was a little concerned about getting to his new job in Butler, Wis.

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"It came at a very timely time. I just received an offer letter from Cargill Meat and I was inquiring about a ride to work, since Butler is out of the bus range of Milwaukee," said Ellis.

NNS Update: FlexRide Milwaukee changes service areas to make program more accessible to residents, employers

FlexRide Milwaukee, a transportation service in Milwaukee, is making changes to its program to make it more accessible.

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Previously, riders had to request a ride from one of five stops. But the service areas were changed this month to reflect the needs of riders and employers.

New FlexRide Service Areas Drive More Access to Jobs for Thousands of Milwaukeeans

New service areas for FlexRide Milwaukee will mean improved access to jobs for people in large portions of Milwaukee’s North and Northwest sides.

FlexRide leaders announced the enhancements a little over a month after the official launch of the on-demand, microtransit service.

FlexRide connecting Milwaukee residents with Waukesha County employers

It is a little less than a mile from the nearest bus stop to Scan-Pac Manufacturing in Menomonee Falls. While there may be some days where a 25-minute walk is tolerable, Leon Road, a frontage road along I-41, is not exactly designed for pedestrians, and Wisconsin winters or hot summer days only make it worse. 

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For many suburban employers, transportation has often come up as a barrier in attracting workers.

FlexRide Milwaukee episode of the Connect MKE show

Dr. Lingqian (Ivy) Hu of UW-Milwaukee and Eric Lynde of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission talk about the FlexRide Milwaukee program, which aims to provide Milwaukee city residents with low-cost transportation to suburban employment in the region.

Testing microtransit to close equity gaps in access to jobs

Learn more about FlexRide Milwaukee, a pilot transit project that connects workers from the city, including three segregated neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s north and northwest sides, to employers in Butler and Menomonee Falls seeking workers.

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On this episode of Curious Campus, we talk with two urban planners leading the project. 

New low-cost rideshare program in Milwaukee hopes to connect people to jobs in Waukesha County

A new rideshare program that launched in Milwaukee Monday, Feb. 7, hopes to give people better access to jobs in the suburbs. FlexRide Milwaukee is helping people who take city buses get to their jobs more easily.

"There's people that take the bus to the end of the line or to a stop near their employer, and they have to walk a mile to get there," Eric Lynde said.

New transportation program connects Milwaukee residents to suburban jobs

It has been a problem for years. Suburban employers say they can’t find workers. People living in the city can’t get to the jobs.

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In Milwaukee, close to 20 percent of residents don’t have access to a car. Getting to manufacturing jobs that are often located in the suburbs requires bus commutes that can take at least 90 minutes.

New Milwaukee rideshare program helps connect workers with jobs

A new rideshare service in Milwaukee is hoping to connect people on the city's north side with jobs in northwest suburbs. FlexRide Milwaukee will launch early next month and is a partnership between the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) and UW Milwaukee. Right now it's just a pilot program, but if things go well it could expand.

On-Demand Transportation Service Connects Milwaukee Workers with Jobs in Menomonee Falls, Butler

City of Milwaukee residents have a new way to get to jobs in the northwest suburbs – and employers have a new way to attract and retain workers. FlexRide Milwaukee launches in early February, with riders picked up from one of five stops...

'Micro-transit' project getting national support to see if it can connect urban workers with suburban jobs

A national award-winning proposal from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is targeted at addressing two problems — one of them fairly recent and one chronic...

UWM researchers lead team awarded $1 million grant to close equity gaps in accessing jobs

UWM faculty and staff members lead a team awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to implement a pilot “microtransit” project that they hope makes it easier for residents from segregated city neighborhoods to reach suburban areas with more jobs...

NSF Awards Mobility Solutions Grant to UWM and SEWRPC

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $1 million Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) grant to a team of UW-Milwaukee professors and Commission staff...

Civic Innovation Challenge awards support community-based solutions to mobility and disaster resilience

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation is announcing $15.9 million in awards to teams comprising civic partners...