MILWAUKEE – While talks on expansion for Milwaukee’s streetcar “The Hop” have stalled out, interest in the transit option remains high.
Numbers released by the streetcar’s website indicate 50,293 riders utilized the downtown line in June, the highest monthly ridership numbers since January of 2020. Additionally, the streetcar’s average of 1,676 riders per day was the highest since December of 2019, when 1,977 customers used the system each day.
The Hop system has recorded year-over-year increases since the beginning of the pandemic. The total number of riders has increased by at least 39 percent in each month of this year over last year.
The system remains free to ride, with the city calling for sponsorships and grants to cover the $4.9 million needed to operate the streetcar.
An extension of the streetcar along the lakefront that has been delayed for several years is set to begin service this October. The City of Milwaukee has said they are planning on continuing expansion plans for the streetcar, despite deciding not to apply to a federal grant program to extend it towards Wisconsin Avenue and Fiserv Forum earlier this year.