MTC's marketing campaign from the late 1970s, The OughtaMobile. You gotta admit, "A service of the Metropolitan Council" just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
Photos courtesy of John R. Borchert Map Library and Hennepin County Library.
Here is a map from back then that I pieced together (shout out web.archive.org). Hopefully it uploaded in decent quality. Definitely a work in progress, not perfect by any means. As you can see there are a few slots (e.g., North St. Paul and Cottage Grove areas) left empty because I was not able to access those pages for whatever reason. Also the southern suburbs are just kinda hanging out down there because they were scaled differently. Lastly, full disclaimer most slots are from 1998, but in a few cases only 1999 or 2001 was available, so I used those instead. If anyone has a more comprehensive system map from this time period, I would love to see! And if anyone has any maps and/or timetables from earlier in Metro Transit/MTC's history, I would be super interested to see those as well!!
Sorry boss,
I'll be in a little late
Had to work my second job from 3 a.m. to 8
They gave me no notice, just put me on the clock
You're always on call, and they don't pay you squat
Everyone works there now and again
It's taxing, demanding
It leaves your eyes red
And anyone might assign you a shift
A friend, a stranger, or whoever you're with
The end product is nothing; most work is independent
Some struggle to start their shift
Others can't seem to end it
And you leave with a newfound sense of gloom
Sorry boss,
Change of plans,
I won't be in until noon