For thousands of Green Bay residents, transportation isn’t just about getting from point A to point B—it’s a lifeline. It’s how seniors reach medical appointments, how students get to class, how workers clock in on time, and how families stay connected. But for many, including those like Gloria Buchanon, a Green Bay Metro bus rider and working-class resident, the future of the city’s public transit system is uncertain.
Green Bay Metro, the city’s public transit system, plays a critical role in bridging these gaps. But as the city grows and mobility needs evolve, the system faces mounting pressure to modernize. At the same time, new opportunities are emerging: federal investments, local policy shifts, and innovative mobility solutions like bike-sharing and electric buses are reshaping what’s possible. The question now is whether Green Bay can build a transportation network that truly serves everyone—not just those who drive.
A System Under Pressure
For many residents, that lifeline is beginning to fray. Dr. Marcelo Cruz, Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning and Associate Professor of Environmental Policy at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, explains, “The function of the transportation system is out of whack with the form.” Built on a century-old “spoke system” designed for a compact industrial city, Green Bay’s transportation network no longer reflects its sprawling, decentralized reality.
As the region grows and diversifies, its infrastructure struggles to keep pace with residents’ evolving needs. From congested intersections to limited transit coverage, the current system reflects decades of underinvestment and car-centric planning. According to Cruz, “We’ve invested more in highway construction that favors the automobile over public transit,” creating a cycle where sprawl fuels car dependence—and vice versa.
Gloria Buchanon, who uses Green Bay Metro six days a week to get to work, knows these struggles firsthand. “Sometimes I have problems with the bus, especially in the afternoon. They need to add a second backup route, because it can get crowded, and sometimes the service is unreliable.” Buchanon’s concerns are echoed by many residents, who find that the current bus network struggles to meet the growing demands of a sprawling city.
Aging roadways compound these challenges. Following a $19 million cut in the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan, critical maintenance and modernization projects have been delayed once again. “It’s a vicious downward cycle,” Cruz warns. “The bus no longer becomes a viable alternative… so they take it less, which means revenues are down, which means more cuts.”
Momentum for Change
Despite these obstacles, new mobility trends are taking root. Electric buses, bike-sharing programs, and micro-mobility options like scooters are transforming transportation across the country—and Green Bay is beginning to follow suit. Green Bay Metro’s transition to electric vehicles represents, as Cruz puts it, “an effort to make it work under very challenging circumstances,” guided by leaders determined to modernize despite shrinking resources.
The Green Bay Metro Transit Development Plan (TDP) 2025–2028 lays out a multi-year strategy to improve service reliability, expand route coverage, and modernize the fleet. Key priorities include:
- Replacing aging buses with low-emission or electric models
- Redesigning routes to better reflect where people live and work
- Enhancing paratransit and ADA-compliant services
Upgrading fare systems and real-time tracking tools
Buchanon is supportive of these efforts, particularly because of how important the bus service is for her own daily life. “I don’t have a car, so the bus is everything to me. I can’t imagine what I’d do if it stopped running, or if it kept getting worse,” she shares. “If they make the buses more reliable and expand the routes, that would be a huge help.”
However, even as Green Bay Metro strives to improve, the system still operates on a relatively small scale, with limited evening and weekend service and few cross-town routes that bypass downtown. As a result, many neighborhoods and job centers remain underserved, exposing a widening gap between Green Bay’s urban form and its transit function.
At the state level, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s long-range plan emphasizes multimodal connectivity, sustainability, and equity. These goals include integrating transit, biking, walking, and freight systems; reducing emissions through clean-energy fleets; and ensuring underserved communities have reliable options.
Green Bay’s local strategies align with those priorities in theory—but in practice, progress is slowed by budget constraints and fragmented regional coordination. “When your city grows, instead of getting more, you get less,” Cruz says. “In this country, growth means cuts—that’s a contradiction.”
For example, while WisDOT promotes multimodal hubs, Green Bay still lacks a unified transit center that connects buses, bikes, and micro-mobility options, leaving the system fragmented.
Falling Behind—or Catching Up
Compared with peer cities of similar size—such as Madison, Wisconsin; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Chattanooga, Tennessee—Green Bay still lags in several key areas.
Madison has implemented a fully electric bus fleet and citywide bike infrastructure. Fort Collins offers frequent service and integrated micro-mobility options. Chattanooga has expanded electric bus pilots and downtown bike lanes.
In contrast, Green Bay’s progress remains incremental. Without stronger investment and regional collaboration, the city risks falling behind peers that are already building integrated, sustainable mobility systems.
Data sourced from:
– City of Madison, WI, Transit,
– City of Fort Collins website,
– Green Bay Metro Zero Emissions Plan
– Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA)
Leadership and Innovation
Transit Director Patricia Kiewiz has emerged as a pragmatic yet forward-thinking leader. Her tenure has been marked by steady service expansion, a focus on accessibility, and a willingness to experiment with new models. One of her most notable initiatives is the Microtransit On-Demand Service, described as “efficient like a bus, convenient like a taxi,” according to an interview with Kiewiz in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The program allows riders to book transit rides via phone or app for the same $2 fare as traditional buses—offering flexibility without sacrificing affordability.
Buchanon, who has used the on-demand service in the past, affirms that this kind of service can be a game-changer. “It’s really helpful, especially when I have to get to work at odd hours. The on-demand rides come right to where I am, and I don’t have to worry about missing the bus.”
Kiewiz also championed LIFT (Low Income Fare Trips), which provides up to four free day passes per month to qualifying riders. The program ensures that transportation remains accessible to those most in need, reinforcing her belief that public transit is a public good.
Equity, Efficiency, and the Road Ahead
The Green Bay Metro Annual System and Analysis Report in 2023 shows how programs like LIFT are reshaping how residents across neighborhoods and demographics engage with public transportation. Historically, fixed-route services have been concentrated in central and west Green Bay, leaving east-side neighborhoods and suburban areas like Bellevue and De Pere underserved—still tied to the old “spoke” design described by Dr. Cruz.
The reintroduction of on-demand service has helped bridge these gaps, offering flexible, app-based rides at the same fare as traditional buses. Industrial corridors near Ashwaubenon and west-side business parks have also benefited, with routes better aligned to shift schedules for manufacturing and logistics workers.
However, balancing equity with operational efficiency remains a challenge. Low-ridership routes can be costly, and while on-demand services offer flexibility, they require sustained funding and careful scheduling.
Buchanon finds that affordable, flexible transportation is crucial—especially for working-class residents who depend on it not just for convenience, but for survival. For her, every missed bus comes with real consequences. “When you don’t have a car, and you need to get to work or to an appointment, the last thing you want is to be stuck with no way to get there,” she says. On days when buses run late or routes are cut back, the uncertainty adds a layer of stress many riders never talk about. “If we don’t have the buses and services, we’re just stuck. You can’t get to your job, you can’t get to the doctor, you can’t get groceries. It affects everything.”
For Gloria, reliable transit isn’t simply about mobility—it’s about dignity. The bus is her connection to economic stability, health care, and basic daily needs. She emphasizes that while programs like on-demand microtransit or discounted fares help, they don’t replace the need for consistent, predictable service across the city. “People like me depend on this every day. We’re just doing our best.”
Designing Cities for People
As Dr. Cruz reminds us, the issue isn’t just technical—it’s cultural and political. “We have to move away from designing our cities for automobiles and start designing cities for people,” he says. Until that shift happens, Green Bay’s progress will remain incremental, driven by short-term necessity rather than a bold vision for the future.
For riders like Gloria Buchanon, those decisions can’t come soon enough. Every delayed bus, every limited route, every cut to the system translates into real challenges for the people who rely on public transportation the most. Their livelihoods, their health, and their daily stability depend on a system that works—not one forced to shrink in response to budget pressures.
The choices Green Bay leaders make in the coming years will determine whether the region becomes a national model for sustainable, equitable transportation—or a cautionary tale about what happens when cities fail to adapt to growth. A modern transit system will require not just investment, but commitment: from policymakers willing to prioritize mobility, from businesses advocating for accessible job centers, and from residents who understand that strong public transit benefits the entire community, not just those who ride it.
If Green Bay is to build a city “designed for people,” as Cruz urges, then action must follow—from expanding routes to underserved areas, to securing state and federal funding, to supporting innovative solutions like microtransit and electric fleets. The path forward is clear, but it will take political will and public support to walk it.