By bus
Public transportation is limited in the Wausau Area. Metro Ride formerly WATS or Wausau Area Transit System operates eight bus routes in the City of Wausau which run at 30-minute intervals; one bus route in the Village of Weston, which runs at 30-minute intervals; and one bus route to Rothschild and Schofield, which operates at 60-minute intervals. Passengers can transfer between routes at the Metro Ride Transit Center, which is located at 555 Jefferson Street in the downtown Wausau, one block from the Wausau Center Mall. Passengers can also transfer between Route C and Route K at Shopko in Rothschild and between Route E and Route I at Aspirus Clinic in Wausau. Buses are clean and uncrowded but the limited schedule makes them somewhat impractical to all but the most dedicated transit user.
By car
Travel by car is very easy in the Wausau area and the preferred method of transportation. Roads are well maintained and marked. Ample, free, at-door parking is available everywhere outside of the downtown area. Downtown, parking is easy to find and very inexpensive. As the city and surrounding area are oriented north/south, for trips from the far north to far south side or visa versa, it is quicker and easier to use the US 51/I 39 expressway which runs along the west edge of the city.