In 2009, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle proposed a three-county Regional Transit Authority that would incorporate MCTS.

This included introducing real-time bus information allowing passengers to track the exact location of buses, new fareboxes and an electronic fare system by virtue of a smart card (M•CARD), and a stop announcement system complete with visual and audio information.

The consensus from the study was that riders wanted faster service and were willing to walk extra distance to bus stops.

[10] Passengers were encouraged to limit interaction with the bus driver, exit through the back door, and to use contactless fare forms, such as the M•CARD or Ride MCTS app.

[11] MCTS began transitioning their fare system away from the M•CARD in favor of the WisGo card and Umo App, in mid-2023, with the M•CARD becoming invalid on October 1, 2023.

[12] The U-Pass was replaced with a variant of the WisGo smartcard that will provide college students with unlimited rides through their university.

Commuter Value Pass users also have a special WisGo smartcard issued by their employer that will provide them with the same benefits as the original CVP program did.

It features battery-electric buses with USB charging, off-board fare collection, special bus shelters with ramps for ADA accessibility, and dedicated travel lanes along portions of the route.

[17] On March 11, 2021, MCTS announced they selected Nova Bus as the manufacturer of 15 LFSe+ battery-electric buses, 11 of which will be used for the new BRT line.

On August 25, 2023, these 9 electric buses were temporarily pulled from service due to a battery recall as a result of a potential manufacturing issue.

[21] It is estimated that by 2035, MCTS Connect will average more than 9,500 weekday riders, with overall transit ridership in the corridor increasing by 17%.

[22] On June 2, 2024, the line was extended to The Couture, stopping at a transit concourse at the base of the building that is shared with The Hop.

MCTS is known for its bus drivers doing good deeds around the city of Milwaukee, such as rescuing lost children, helping people with disabilities cross busy streets, and much more.

This recognition has resulted in MCTS receiving honors from organizations such as PETA[23] to an Innovators Award from the American Public Transportation Association in July 2019.

Station: Fond du Lac Clean air buses with new interior features, such as an automatically opening electronic smart door at the back of the bus.

Station: Fond du Lac 6015 retired due to damage from a very bad crash on September 11, 2022 at 11th & Mitchell.

These buses feature USB charging, an automatic Quantum wheelchair securement system, and produce chimes when approaching stops for visually impaired riders.

[34] The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) plans to seek approximately $55.2 million in federal grants for bus replacements to help finance the Milwaukee County Transit System's transition to an electric fleet.

[35] In March 2023, Milwaukee County was awarded $8.4 million from the state to support the purchase of 16 battery electric buses (BEBs).

These bus routes were the result of a lawsuit against the Department of Transportation claiming that the Zoo Interchange reconstruction project was discriminatory in that it only benefitted commuters from the predominantly White suburbs and did not advocate for public transit improvements in the city.

Route 61, a third "JobLine", was also introduced, which traveled from 35th Street & Capitol Drive, and ran northwest along Keefe Avenue, Appleton Avenue, Silver Spring Drive, Falls Parkway, and County Line Road to Germantown Walmart.

In December 2018, it was announced that Routes 6 and 61 were retiring due to the end of the Zoo Interchange settlement funding.

MCTS provided two Summerfest freeway flyers in 2023, Route 40S, operating from the College Avenue Park and Ride lots, and Route 49S, operating from the Brown Deer Road East Park and Ride Lot.

124th/Bradley Drexel-IKEA Loomis/29th Industries for the Blind & Visually Impaired Greenfield/124th Oak Creek (Centennial-Target) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Southridge Mall Lipton/Kinnickinnic University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee MATC South Campus via Airport Brown Deer Rd/114th-Lauer (Coca Cola) Currently, Milwaukee County, MCTS, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) are engaged in a study of the 27th Street Corridor.

A considerable number of jobs, shopping centers, and medical facilities are along this corridor, currently served by the PurpleLine.

This new, 18-mile route would travel from Bayshore Mall in Glendale to the Oak Creek IKEA via Silver Spring, Teutonia and 27th Street, serving 33 stops in each direction, including St. Luke's Medical Center at 27th and Oklahoma, two Walmart stores, one at 27th and Ohio and another near 27th and Sycamore, and the Northwestern Mutual Franklin Campus near 27th and Drexel.

This corridor features nearly 50,000 jobs, 2,500 businesses, 4 major medical facilities, 63 K-12 schools, 36 grocery and big-box discount stores, and 12 community resource centers.

However in late August 2024, Milwaukee County officials recommended and later approved the shelving of the Connect 2 project for an indeterminate amount of time due to budgetary concerns.