I live in Whittier, and I'm planning to bike to downtown Minneapolis to take transit to the capitol for my job. I'm unsure as to which is the faster/more reliable service?
Do the numbers. Pull the Met Council budget. Look for the headings. Add up the operating cost plus the cost of capitalized maintenance. Divide it by the ridership. The number is $24 a ride. That is way too much.
While I think the Downtown Zones were a good idea when MTC created them in the 1970s (they were called Dime Zones then), I think Metro Transit should abolish or reform them in their quest to simplify the fare system. My thoughts:
There is much less intra-downtown transit usage than in the past. In addition, too many people misuse the Downtown Zone by lying about where they are going. One bus driver who used to blog about her job had a passenger who would try to go to Louisiana Ave. on a Downtown Zone fare, LOL!
Also, if someone wants to pay a DZ fare with a Go-To Card, the driver has to manually adjust the reader, which is less than ideal.
Possible improvements:
Simply abolish the Downtown Zones and charge the regular fare even within downtown.
Create "Free Tail" service similar to existing free rides on Nicollet Mall on buses ending downtown. The corollary would be "Free Head" service on Pay Exit buses if you exit before leaving downtown.
For LRT, BRT, and possible future POP service, free downtown service could be implemented via simple exemption from fare inspection within downtown.
Instead of a free/reduced service on regular buses, implement a special free or reduced shuttle system within downtown similar to the U of M service or the 16th St. Mall in Denver.
There once were two good reasons for Pay Exit in the outbound direction on express buses to the suburbs: 1) It made boarding in the outbound direction faster by eliminating long lines to pay, and 2) The zone system meant the fare amount varied by how far you were going. Almost all riders were coming from downtown, so the exit point was the fare determiner for ~99% of them.
Nowadays, there aren't the insane crowds boarding express buses in the PM rush hour, and fare zones don't exist anymore.
Pay Exit is confusing for people who ride local buses in the inner city most of the time and only use suburban expresses occasionally. Also, eliminating Pay Exit would enable Metro Transit to go to a POP system like San Francisco has for regular buses, not just BRT and rail. Taking the driver out of fare enforcement and having more police/TRIP agent presence would improve the experience for many people. (I don't immediately remember where I read this, but studies in Europe showed the best compliance/cost ratio was when about 7 percent of riders were inspected and where the inspections were truly random, not a guessable pattern.)
Some routes are officially Pay Exit but informally treated by drivers and passengers as Pay Enter. The best example I can think of is the former 852, now the 827 which is still officially Pay Exit even though it isn't express. This is extra confusing if you are new to the route but see it is Pay Exit on the printed schedule.
It's me the Transdev hater.
It's so oddly round, the wheelchair lift sticks out like a sore thumb, and the display for announcements is on the left side above where the paper maps should go.
It's just so odd.
(Route 219 Maplewood to Sunray)
Last year, Metro Transit received about 120 of these new Gillig Low Floor Plus buses, and they have been such a positive upgrade in my opinion. Metro Transit has long ordered pretty bare-bones buses outside of the BRT system. To get regular route buses with more "fancy" features previously reserved for BRT (like fat tire bike racks, stop request tape, vinyl seats, USB chargers, etc.) was pretty unexpected. I also really like the frameless windows, white headsigns, and streamlined roof that give them a more modern appearance.
It looks like most of the early 2010s Gillig BRTs are being replaced by these over the next few years, so they will become the new norm for the regular route buses. Another nice quirk is that with the taller roofline, the diesel, HEV, and full electric buses will all look the same. That gives the fleet a much more consistent appearance overall. Across all types, another 200 or so of these are being delivered throughout 2026 and 2027.
I don't usually nerd out too much on individual bus models and stuff like that but I just really like the upgraded riding experience these buses provide.
According to customer service they canceled the bus, and they recommended going to a stop on the other side of 494 that left 5 minutes ago when they recommended it
Transdev strikes again!
One of the few things Transdev does has done right.
Transdev needs to get their shit together. This should not be happening on every weekday it confuses some riders because it's not what the bus normally looks like.
Below is copy/pasted from Metro Transit:
On June 13, Metro Transit will make changes to transit service throughout the metro. As always, these quarterly service changes are being made to ensure we’re providing reliable service that meets your needs.
The improvements are part of an ongoing effort to expand access and adapt service based on changes in travel patterns. The improvements are outlined in the agency’s Network Now framework, informed by rider and community feedback.
Some highlights this quarter include:
ROUTE 14
ROUTE 802 (PDF) - New route!
After years of yearning for a paddle board, I finally bit the bullet and made the purchase. I wasn't going to pay the $85 of oversized shipping fee to REI so I was a little bummed thinking I had to drive to the Bloomington REI to pick it up. Lo behold, the 4 has a stop near the REI. It was me and my Burley cargo trailer against the world but we made it!!!
I am crossing my fingers and wishing upon the stars that Metro Transit is going to choose the 4 for the L line BRT. I want to see less headway going to and from the suburbs.
These protruding stop buttons on the brand new buses seem to have a hair trigger. It’s happened multiple times now where I’ve gone to sit down, the bus is already moving because it doesn’t want to wait, so I try to grab the pole to brace myself as I plop down into a seat, only to hit the button. Then the bus has to stop at the next stop and nobody gets off. I hate these. Why can’t they be flush like the yellow one you can see in the background like the older buses have?
Hi, you may have seen a recent post of mine. I ended up applying on May 14th, 2 days ago!
May 15th, yesterday, my application on govermentjobs . com updated to "HR Review"
I was wondering how long the process typically is from application to first day in training? Already have my CDL if that helps.
I also currently live in Illinois, how many times will i have to travel back and forth to Mpls for interviews, drug tests, etc? I have family i can stay with in Minneapolis whenever so finding a place to live is no concern thankfully. And besides submitting a 2 week notice at my current agency, i can start whenever they need me.
thank you
Also wanted to take the time to say a lot of wonderful people got back to me about my last post and I really appreciate all of you! <3
Has anyone taken this route today? I'm making plans for tomorrow and was curious how much time the detour off the interstate added. Thanks for the help!
I'm sure the answer is because the RR company won't allow it, but what is the story here? Is this segment of railroad actually still in use? I'm just talking about the segment up to 21st ave., where the current alignment then heads west.
(Blue represents the current alignment for the BLE, red is where the RR is)
Not sure how recent this is, but when i took the train on Monday they were running 2-car trains, and this morning they're running 3 car trains.
> Get on bus
> TRIP agents board bus, delaying it by three minutes
> Woman boards bus with kid
> Asked to provide fare
> Only kinda shows fare
> Is asked to properly show it so the agent can verify
> Immediately becomes argumentative and starts insulting the agent
> Eventually provides fare
> Still talks to herself for five minutes without anyone responding to her
> Second TRIP agent asks for a validator, no one responds
> TRIP agents proceed to argue with each other and then get off the bus
> Dude in front of me starts hacking up a lung
> Reach my stop
> Three Metro cops are surrounding one man, lights flashing
> Citing him for public urination (I see the puddle)
> Go home
I love this city and Metro Transit, but I swear I've never had a "normal" D Line Trip.
Also, why don't they give every TRIP agent a card validator?
Yes I'm autistic
Question, I was thinking about applying again to be a bus driver. I used to work as one in Virginia but left to go back to truck driving due to an assault while driving the bus. I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t leave on good standing in my opinion because I never gave notice. I’m a little worried that would come back and haunt me. I have to move back to Minnesota to help my sister whose health isn’t so good so I’m job scouting right now. I know I’ll be coming in at the bottom because I only had 9 months with my last bus job. I’ve been working at this job for about a year now. I still have my endorsement from Virginia because a fool would be the only one that would get rid of that. What would the hiring process look like for me and would I even get hired because of what happened?