On June 11, Metro Transit is making changes to transit service within your community. As we do each quarter, we review and analyze our resources and ridership trends. These service adjustments to bus routes continue our ongoing work to best serve customers throughout our system with our given resources. Heading back to work? A summary of the upcoming service changes and a preview of the updated schedules are available now.
Masks are now optional on Metro Transit
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that masks be worn in indoor public transportation settings. However, the federal order requiring masks on transit is not currently in effect, and no local mask requirements exist. Riders are asked to be mindful of the latest public health guidance and to watch for updates at metrotransit.org/health. While no mask requirement is in effect, bus drivers are still encouraged to bring extra masks with them to be made available to those who wish to use them. Riders are encouraged to avoid
transit if they are ill and to spread out if space is available. Signs and stickers denoting the prior mandate are being slowly removed from the system as resources allow.
Buses will replace METRO Green Line trains on May 14 & 15
Buses will replace METRO Green Line trains beginning the morning of Saturday, May 14, at 4:30 a.m. to allow for schedule maintenance in the corridor, including track repair. At that time, buses will replace Green Line trains between Capitol/Rice St. and Union Depot stations in both directions. During the disruption, customers can board replacement buses near each affected station.
Green Line trains will resume service to all stations at 4 a.m. on Monday, May 16.
NOTE: Replacement buses will not be available from approximately midnight to 4 a.m. per the out-of-service hours for the METRO Green Line. See maps for boarding locations.
It's more than a job – it's a CAREER!
Metro Transit is hiring bus drivers! There are immediate openings for bus drivers to start full-time after receiving paid training. No experience is necessary, just a record of good driving and employment. We’ll provide the training you need AND pay you a signing bonus.
After training, you’ll receive fantastic benefits, including health care, annual salary increases, a state pension, and an unlimited-ride transit pass. Where you go from there is up to you. There are multiple opportunities for career growth at Metro Transit. In fact, many of our top leaders started their careers as bus drivers!
Visit metrotransit.org/drive to learn how to apply and find out about in-person hiring events that offer help with applications. If you have questions, call 612-373-3333 or text 612-444-1161. Apply in person and interview the same day! Attend one of our driving hiring events at the Metro Transit Instruction Center:
Saturday, May 7
9 a.m. to noon
Wednesday, May 11
4 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Metro Transit Instruction Center,
725 North 7th Street, Minneapolis You don't have to wait for a hiring event to apply.
Apply today. Get moving on your application now at metrotransit.org/drive.
Charging forward on electric buses
A message from General Manager Wes Kooistra
Buses collectively produce less than 1% of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions. But we still play an important role in the urgent effort to move away from using fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. To do our part, we are using eight electric buses on the METRO C Line and recently created our first-ever Zero-Emission Bus Transition Plan. Under this ambitious new plan, our fleet could include more than 100 electric buses by 2027. Notably, the plan also suggests sending these buses to communities with poorer air quality and other
disparities. We are excited about what’s in store, and we know our riders and supporters are also eager to see us put more electric buses into use. But this plan also acknowledges the importance of moving forward thoughtfully. Performance and the cost of buying, maintaining, and charging electric buses will continue to be important considerations. Today we have eight 60-foot electric buses in service. Our next learning experience will begin as early as next year, when we plan to add our first 40-foot electric buses to our electric bus fleet. Future purchases could bring electric buses to new Bus Rapid Transit corridors. We are still at the beginning of a long journey. But we have taken some
very important first steps. I encourage you to learn more about our plan and, if you haven’t already done so, to experience an electric bus for yourself on the C Line. Thank you for riding and thank you for your continued support.
Join our law enforcement team!
Help us keep one of the country's largest transit systems safe for customers. We're a full-service, 24-hour, licensed police department that responds to and investigates, all crimes occurring on Metro Transit property, including buses, light rail, commuter trains, facilities, and rights-of-way throughout eight counties and 85 cities. We're committed to building on our community policing success through shared partnerships between officers and citizens. Why not put your law enforcement career on the move and join us? Learn more here.
Gas prices getting you down? Don’t get mad, get moving! More info at metrotransit.org or 612-373-3333.
Easy access to Art-A-Whirl weekend!
The largest open studio tour in the country takes place May 20-22 in northeast Minneapolis. Don’t swirl looking for parking, let Metro Transit get you to the Whirl! With multiple routes going through the neighborhood, including the 10, 11, 17 and 32, it’s a great way to experience all the art, music, and food without the stress! Learn more here.
Summer Student Pass – ride all summer long for $30!
Students at participating high schools can get a summer's worth of rides on buses and light rail for just $30 with the Summer Student Pass! From June 1 through Sept. 6, students can get unlimited rides on buses and trains up to a $3.25 fare (for fares higher than that amount, like some Northstar trips, just add stored value to your pass).
Click here for a list of participating schools, more details and to purchase a pass beginning May 9.
Transit Assistance Program (TAP) – Safe and easy to apply!
The Transit Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to make public transit more affordable for lower income residents. TAP provides a reduced fare pass on a Go-To Card. It allows customers to use a bus or train for just $1 per ride – even during rush hour – with a 2½ hour transfer. A “Free & reduced lunch letter” from your school or district is now accepted for Transit Assistance Program certification! Certain restrictions apply. Signing up for TAP is easy and safe online. A full year of discounted rides will make your transportation needs more affordable. Apply online at metrotransit.org/tap or view what documents are required to sign-up at one of our upcoming events listed below! Snelling Ave. Station & METRO A Line stops
Thursday, May 12
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Starlite Transit Center
Thursday, May 19
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Uptown Transit Center
Thursday, May 26
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. See a list of accepted documents.
Adopt-A-Stop program revived and expanded
When Deb Winsor walked to her Uptown bus stop, she was often irked by the amount of litter she found along the way. So she decided to act, joining a growing number of people who have joined the recently revived and expanded Adopt-A-Stop program. Adopters agree to visit their adopted stop weekly to remove litter and to report more serious concerns, like graffiti or broken glass, to Metro Transit. In exchange for their efforts, adopters receive Go-To Cards with enough value to take 10 rides a month, cleaning supplies, and can have their names added to the bus stop sign or shelter. “I would walk to Uptown past this bus stop and be annoyed about the litter. Then, I said to myself, `Why
complain? Let’s do something about it,’” said Winsor, a hospital receptionist who takes routes 6 and 2 to her job in the surgery center at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis. Historically, the program focused largely on stops with shelters. Today, though, people can adopt any of the nearly 12,000 bus stops found across the region. Hamline University sophomore Lane Renner is another recent adopter. His Theta Chi fraternity now looks after the METRO A Line’s Snelling & Hewitt Station, which sits in front of their house on Snelling Avenue. “It’s an easy way to give back to your community,” Renner said. “It doesn’t take that much work. I know the people who come by appreciate having a clean
bus stop.” To date, 14 stops have been adopted. The hope is to have dozens more adopted by the end of the year. Learn more about the Adopt-A-Stop program!
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TEXT FOR SAFETYEveryone knows to call 9-1-1 to report a crime but what if you don’t feel comfortable making that call due to concerns for your personal safety? Now you can contact Metro Transit by text for non-emergency situations to silently report something that doesn’t look right on a bus, on a train or at a transit shelter. This service is also accessible via the Metro Transit Mobile App. TEXT 612-900-0411* to report suspicious or threatening behavior or anything else we should know about so we can send help. *Messaging and data rates apply; refer to your wireless plan for more details.
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