Buses will run for a lot fewer hours next year, under the budget request for the Milwaukee County Transit System.

While it is true that the request does not include fare increases and does include an $11 million spending increase, it also includes a drop in property tax support and a cut number of hours buses are scheduled to be running.

Buses are proposed to be on the road for 1,322,692 hours in 2009, or or 1.3% fewer hours than are budgeted for this year. That may not sound like much, until you figure that 1.3% is the equivalent of 16,920 hours, which equates to 705 days, which equates to 1.9 years. The cuts being pondered are significant.

Property tax support would be $21.5 million, a decrease of $670,507, or 3%, under the budget request.

The County Board adopted a measure calling for a non-binding referendum on whether to establish a sales tax to support transit and parks. County Executive Scott Walker vetoed the resolution, and the Board has not yet held an override vote.

Here are the funding details for the transit request: The total transit and paratransit budget requested is $174.9 million, up $11.2 million, or 6.4%, from this year’s budget of $163.8 million. Requested transit operating expenses are up $7.5 million, or 5.6%, due to higher fuel prices. They are projected at $4 per gallon for 2009, while they were budgeted at $2.30 per gallon this year.

Despite the service cuts, bus ridership is projected to increase by 705,125 rides next year, up 1.7% from the number budgeted for this year. The cost per mile to operate buses is expected to rise from $7.51 to $7.98, a jump of 6.3%. Passenger revenue per mile, though, is projected to increase just a penny, from $1.04 to $1.05.

On the paratransit side, the number of trips taken is expected to increase to 1,158,820, up 82,079, or 7.6%, from this year. The cost per ride is expected to go up 51 cents a trip, or 2.37%.

Things are not looking up for transit riders in Milwaukee County.