Getting around Madison, WI: buses, bikes, parking and the airport

Metro Transit buses

Metro redesigned its whole network in June 2023, and most routes now go by letters instead of numbers. The backbone is Rapid Route A, Madison's first bus rapid transit line, which opened in September 2024. It runs east to west across the isthmus, from the Sun Prairie Park and Ride to Junction Road, every 15 minutes on weekdays until 8 p.m. and Saturdays until 7 p.m., and every 30 minutes on Sundays and holidays.

• Local routes B through W, plus 28 and 38, fill in the rest of the city. Peak-only routes 55, 65 and 75 run at rush hour.
• Route B is not BRT yet. Today's Route B is a regular local route between Cahill and Northport. The planned North-South bus rapid transit line (also called Route B) is in design, with service expected in 2030.
• UW campus routes 80, 81, 82 and 84 are free for anyone.
• Real-time arrivals: Metro's online Bus Tracker plans trips and shows when the next bus is due. Google Maps and the Transit app also have Metro schedules.
• Bikes: standard buses carry two bikes on the front rack for no extra fare. On Route A buses you board at the rear door and use the racks inside.

Fares and how to pay

A single ride is $2 for adults and $1 for youth (ages 5 to 17 or still in high school), seniors and riders with disabilities. Children under 5 ride free with an adult. Transfers are free for two hours when you tap the same card or phone.

Metro doesn't sell passes. Instead it caps fares: once you've paid $5 in a day, $16.25 in a week or $65 in a month, the rest of your rides that period are free. Reduced-fare riders cap at $2.50 a day, $7 a week and $28 a month.

• Tap to pay: a contactless Visa, Mastercard or Discover card, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, all count toward the caps.
• Fast Fare card or app: pick up a reloadable card at any Madison Public Library or the Metro office at 1245 E. Washington Ave., or use the Fast Fare app.
• Cash: exact fare only, at regular stops. At Route A stations you buy a ticket from the machine before boarding.
• Half-price fares for youth, seniors 65+, people with disabilities and qualifying low-income riders are set up through a Fast Fare account.
• UW–Madison students ride free with the student bus pass, picked up from UW Transportation Services.

Parking downtown

The city runs six garages around the Capitol Square and State Street, all open 24 hours with hourly rates: Capitol Square North (218 E. Mifflin St.), Overture Center (318 W. Mifflin St.), State Street Capitol (200 N. Carroll St.), State Street Campus (415 N. Lake St.), South Livingston Street (111 S. Livingston St.) and Wilson Street (20 E. Wilson St.). Surface lots include Buckeye (214 W. Gorham St.), Blair (410 S. Blair St.) and Evergreen (1802 Monroe St.).

• Street meters are enforced 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The rate is posted on each meter ($2 an hour on most streets). Some meters have rush-hour no-parking times, so read the sign.
• Pay at the meter with a card or coins, or with the city's Park Smarter app or Text-to-Pay.
• Free meter holidays: New Year's Day, MLK Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Meters *are* enforced the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Presidents' Day and Veterans Day.
• Winter: from November 15 to March 15, alternate side parking rules apply overnight from 1 to 7 a.m. Our winter parking guide explains odd and even sides and snow emergencies.

Biking and BCycle

Madison has more than 200 miles of off-road paths and trails, and the lakes make for easy loops.

• Madison BCycle is an all-electric bike share with about 110 stations in Madison, Monona, Fitchburg, McFarland and Shorewood Hills. Buy a pass in the BCycle app, unlock a bike at any station and return it to any station. A single trip is $8 for 30 minutes, a 24-hour guest pass is $20, and monthly ($35) and annual ($180) memberships are available. The season runs from mid-March to mid-December.
• Lake Monona loop: a marked 13.8-mile route around the lake, past Monona Terrace and Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The city also maps a shorter Lake Wingra loop.
• Capital City State Trail: runs around and through Madison, linking the Military Ridge and Badger State Trails, with nine miles through Capital Springs. Bicycling it requires a state trail pass.
• Southwest Commuter Path and Cannonball Path: off-street routes into downtown from the west side and from Fitchburg. The last piece of the Cannonball Path, from Fish Hatchery Road to the Wingra Creek Path, is under construction until spring 2027.
• Detour: the Capital City Path along John Nolen Drive, between S. Bedford St. and E. Lakeside St., is closed for reconstruction until late spring 2027, with a signed detour around Monona Bay.
• Maps: the city's biking page links to the Dane County bike map and a low-stress route finder.

Dane County Regional Airport (MSN)

Madison's airport is about five miles northeast of downtown, at 4000 International Lane. Delta, American, United, Frontier, Sun Country and Breeze fly nonstop to major hubs including Chicago O'Hare, Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and New York, with seasonal flights to Florida, Arizona and Las Vegas. Check the airport's route map for what's flying this season.

• By bus: Metro Route D2 stops outside Door 6 (look for "D2 EPIC CAMPUS" or "D2 VERONA" on the sign). It runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on weeknights and weekends, for the regular $2 fare.
• Uber and Lyft pick up outside Door 6. Taxis wait at Door 7, at the north end of baggage claim. Hotel shuttles use Door 5.

Buses to Chicago, Milwaukee and beyond

Madison has no Amtrak station. Most intercity buses leave from the UW campus on the 200 block of N. Lake Street, by Gordon Commons, and many also stop at the Dutch Mill Park & Ride on the southeast side.

• Chicago: Van Galder buses run via Janesville and Rockford to O'Hare and downtown Chicago near Union Station. You can book them through Amtrak as part of a train trip.
• Milwaukee: Badger Bus runs to downtown Milwaukee's Intermodal Station (for Amtrak trains) and Milwaukee's Mitchell Airport.
• Minneapolis and elsewhere: Greyhound, FlixBus and Jefferson Lines serve Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. State-supported routes also run to Green Bay, Wausau and Dubuque.
• Amtrak by train: the nearest stations are Columbus and Portage, on the rail line between Chicago and the Twin Cities.

Schedules change, so check the carrier before you go. New to town? Our moving to Madison guide covers the rest of the setup.