Metro Transit (Minnesota) - Definition and Overview

There are also other systems named named Metro Transit.

MTC can also stand for Mass Transportation Centre.

Metro Transit is the largest operator of bus service in the seven-county region surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul area in Minnesota with over 900 buses on about 130 routes, and the Hiawatha Line light rail corridor. It is reportedly the 11th largest transit system in the country, with approximately 200,000 rides provided each weekday, carrying about 95% of the transit rides in the region. A few other competing carriers exist in the area, including Southwest Metro Transit and Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. Metro Transit workers are organized through the Amalgamated Transit Union.

The agency as it currently exists was first formed in the late 1960s, although the organization's history can be traced back to the early streetcar systems developed in the area in the mid to late 19th century. In 1970, it acquired the bus lines of Twin City Rapid Transit from businessman Carl Pohlad. The Metropolitan Council became the parent agency of Metro Transit in 1994. The light-rail system began operation on June 26, 2004, 50 years “to the month,” as Metro Council members have said, since the last regular-service streetcar ran on June 19, 1954.

The organization has had several names over the years, though the most well-known name was probably Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC).

Vehicle livery is largely white, with a predominantly blue strip running horizontally along the side of buses. The Hiawatha Line light-rail vehicles have a different color scheme, being predominantly black and gray, with yellow used on each end.

Funding for Metro Transit has wavered significantly over the years, and today the organization only receives about 65% of the funding that transportation systems in similar regions around the United States receive. Such peer regions reportedly include Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. Funding for the system is approved on an annual or biennial basis, while many other systems have steadier sources of funds.

Local policy requires that one third of the system's funding comes from fares, and current operations slightly exceed that level. About 60% of funding comes from the state of Minnesota. The remaining 5% largely comes from the U.S. federal government and other profit sources. The general fare as of November 2004 is $1.25, although express routes cost more and certain eligible individuals (such as riders with disabilities) can ride for 50¢. Many of the fares are more expensive during rush hour periods; a rush-hour ride on an express bus currently costs $2.50, for instance. The system does not make much use of fare zones aside from downtown zones in Minneapolis and St. Paul where rides only cost 50¢. Fare transfer cards valid for 2.5 hours are available upon payment of fare. A number of discounted multiple-use transit pass options are available, and the system is planning to introduce a contactless smart card (the Go-To Card) for paying fares but its introduction has been delayed until at least 2005.

The system claims to have a safety record five times better than the national average, although some worry that continuing reductions in break times and increases in the length of working days may cause the incident rate to rise.

Since about 1993, Metro Transit buses have been allowed to use road shoulders to bypass traffic jams. This can be considered as a crude form of bus rapid transit (BRT), and some research has gone into improving the speed at which buses can travel in such a situation. Primarily, bus drivers have to be very attentive when taking the bus onto the shoulder, since that part of the road is only about one foot wider than the buses in many cases. Some researchers at the University of Minnesota helped rig up a bus with a lane-keep system along with a heads-up display connected to a radar system to alert the driver of any obstacles. The technology was an adaptation of a system previously tested with drivers of snowplows, and made some headlines in the early 2000s decade, but has not yet been widely deployed.

A true BRT line known as the Northwest Corridor is expected to be built in the coming years. Several other lines are on the drawing board along with additional light rail projects.

External links

• Metro Transit (http://www.metrotransit.org/)
• System map (http://www.metrotransit.org/serviceInfo/mapSystem.asp)