When Transit Spin Replaces Service, the Middle Class Pays the Price

Madison Metro’s ridership reports may look good on paper — but as former Madison mayor Paul Soglin pointed out in a Facebook post last month, they’re built on comparisons to pandemic-era lows rather than to real benchmarks like 2016 and 2017. The result is a false narrative of growth that masks a system in crisis.

Soglin’s critique didn’t come out of nowhere. It followed reporting in the Wisconsin State Journal showing that Metro Transit is facing a $5.75 million budget hole — a shortfall so large that more thanhalf of the city’s 2025 budget surplus is being used just to plug the gap. The article detailed how Metro overestimated fare revenue, underestimated the costs of the new Bus Rapid Transit line, and failed to anticipate salary increases negotiated with the drivers’ union.

Soglin’s conclusion was blunt: “Welcome to Potemkin Village.” A shiny façade, hiding a hollow reality.

What’s Really Going On

According to the State Journal, Metro’s 2025 budget problems stem from a combination of:

• Fare revenue projections that were off by more than $2.3 million
• Unanticipated BRT expenses, including staffing and a second maintenance facility
• A renegotiated union contract with retroactive pay increases
• Internal confusion about how to project and report revenue, described by a former acting general manager as a “lack of understanding… even within the agency”

The city had to redirect $5.75 million from its year-end surplus to cover the shortfall — money that could have gone to streets, public safety, or tax relief.

As one city official told the State Journal,

“There was a plan, and then the real-world cost kind of kicked in.”

That’s not a confidence-builder.

And it raises a bigger question: If leadership is willing to bend the truth on transit, what else are they willing to gloss over?

Why It Matters to Dane County Voters

This isn’t just about buses. It’s about how leadership treats the public — especially the middle class.

When transit systems falter, working families lose reliable access to jobs, schools, and services. They spend more on cars, gas, and parking. And when budgets implode, taxpayers are the ones left holding the bill.

Meanwhile, city leaders continue to insist things are improving — even as the State Journal documents revenue miscalculations, budget holes, and a system struggling to keep up with its  own costs.

Soglin’s critique isn’t about ideology. It’s about honesty, competence, and accountability — values every voter should expect from public leadership.

A Pattern Beyond Transit

The “Potemkin Village” metaphor fits because the issue goes beyond Metro. Residents see the same pattern in:

• Housing
• Taxes
• Public safety
• Budget priorities

A polished narrative on the surface, with growing problems underneath.

What Voters Can Do

In 2026, Dane County voters will have the opportunity to choose new leadership — across local boards, the Supreme Court, the legislature, and the governor’s office.

If you believe public services should be honest and reliable…

If you believe the middle class deserves respect…

If you believe leadership should serve the people, not the narrative…then the path forward is clear:

Vote for change. Vote for transparency. Vote for leadership that delivers.