Our history · Wisconsin since 1920
One bus.
A whole lot
of Wisconsin.
A 15-passenger bus. A route between Madison and Monroe. And the start of a story that’s been part of Wisconsin life for more than a century.
Small beginnings. Memorable rides.
Before the big coaches,
there were some
steep hills.
In 1920, Herman E. Meier started with one 15-passenger bus serving Madison and Monroe. He ran that single vehicle for seven years.
Those early trips had a little more audience participation than today’s rides. Local histories recall passengers climbing out to help push the bus up Wisconsin’s steeper hills.
From that hands-on beginning grew a familiar name on Wisconsin roads.
A Cadillac with a second career.
A Cadillac touring car also had a turn on the route. Its passenger-service days didn’t last, but the car found another job: helping clear snow when the plows couldn’t get through.
A growing company gets a name.
Herman incorporated the Southern Wisconsin Transportation Company, an early chapter in the business that became Badger.
Next stop, Freeport. By Hudson.
During the Depression, Hudson sedans carried passengers on the Freeport service. The vehicles changed with the times, and the trips kept going.
The red coach to Mil-wau-kee
“If you want to go by Badger just come along with me, in the red Badger Coach to Mil-wau-kee.”A remembered Badger advertising song
MADISON → MILWAUKEE
1 hr. 55 min.That was the promise on an old Badger postcard. By 1946, express coaches were making the trip along U.S. Highway 30, before the interstate became the familiar way across.
Part of the community
A Madison story.
With a lot of people in it.
For generations of travelers, Badger has been part of getting somewhere: heading to Milwaukee, traveling with a team, meeting up with family, or sharing a day out.
Our history lives in the places people remember, too. The old Regent Street terminal. The red coaches. The drivers, mechanics, and employees who made the trips possible.
More than a century of journeys adds up to more than miles. It adds up to a place in the community we call home.
Badger today
New journeys.
The same Wisconsin roots.
Today, Badger Bus brings people together through scheduled bus service and charter transportation. We help travelers make everyday connections and help groups plan the trips they’ll remember.
School outings, game days, weddings, business events, airport transfers, and time away together. Wherever the occasion takes you, there’s a place for Badger in the plan.
Your seat on the next bus.
Explore scheduled service, find your stop, and plan your next trip.
Explore routes & schedules →Your group. Your destination.
Bring everyone together with charter transportation planned around your trip.
Plan a group trip →More than a century behind us.
Your next trip ahead.
Let’s get you there, together.
One bus. A lot of heart.
Badger began with Herman Meier, a 15-passenger bus, and a route between Madison and Monroe. More than a century later, our Wisconsin roots still shape every trip.
From a local route to the red coach.
In 1920, Herman Meier started a 15-passenger bus service between Madison and Monroe. On steep hills, passengers sometimes hopped out to push. Herman also tried a Cadillac touring car; when some hills proved too much, it took on a second life clearing snow. In 1927, he incorporated the company as Southern Wisconsin Transportation Company. During the Depression, Hudson sedans kept Freeport service going.
In 1946, Badger Coaches began fast express service between Madison and Milwaukee on U.S. 30. The red coach even had a song: “If you want to go by Badger.” It promised a ride to Mil-wau-kee.
A Madison story, still unfolding.
Badger’s story is woven into Madison. A 1947 company gathering at Nakoma Country Club captures the people behind the buses, and a 1949 photo shows Badger Bus Lines at 1313 Regent Street.
The buses changed and the routes grew, but Madison remained at the heart of the story.
The journey keeps going.
Today, Badger connects Wisconsin travelers with scheduled routes and group transportation.
From school trips and game days to weddings, corporate events, airport transfers, and days out together, we help groups get where they’re going. The buses have changed. The journeys keep coming.