Over the past few years, Madison Metro bus ridership has declined by 2.4 million rides per year (16%) from ~15,200,000 rides in 2014 to ~12,800,000 rides in 2017, while at the same time our population increased by roughly 10,000 people.
This decline in bus ridership has been seen nationally. Researchers think the trend is related to a few variables such as gasoline prices, car ownership rates, and ride hailing services.
All of this is to say that our bus system is not overwhelmed. The problem is: