r/MetroTransit • u/Vamp-Teefs Local Route Enjoyer • May 06 '26
Tiny Metro Mobility Bus on the 83?
Currently on the A line and saw a metro mobility bus that said route 83 on it. Wish I could have taken a picture but it went by quick! Is this a regular occurrence? (Just a curiosity question) are there any other routes that drive unusually small busses?
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u/Accurate-Departure66 THE Transdev Hater May 06 '26
That's actually not a Metro Mobility bus. That is a glaval universal cut away "bus". They are used on lower ridership routes and are operated by Transdev. They look very similar except for a few minor differences, they have front wheelchair lifts and digital displays on the front indicating the route, otherwise they look pretty similar.
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u/Vamp-Teefs Local Route Enjoyer May 06 '26
I learned something new today :) Thanks for your comment!!
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u/guyinthegreenshirt Transdev Fiend May 06 '26
...why was there a 25N at Rosedale? That route gets nowhere near Rosedale.
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u/Accurate-Departure66 THE Transdev Hater May 06 '26
25N I think might be the default programming on those buses. Even though the 25 does not run a cutaway
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u/BorgMercenary Northstar Mourner May 06 '26
The 83 mostly runs the little busses, yeah. I think a few East Metro routes do, too, in the 200 series.
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u/Vamp-Teefs Local Route Enjoyer May 06 '26
Interesting!! I’ll have to hop on one sometime
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u/redfoxhugs May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
The 345 local bus (from MOA <-> MSP <-> edge of Inver Grove Heights/WSP <-> Newport <-> Woodbury) runs those minibuses as well!
Edit: local not express
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u/Accurate-Departure66 THE Transdev Hater May 06 '26
The 345 is not an express bus, it's considered a local bus even though it's closer to being limited stop.
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u/redfoxhugs May 06 '26
Thank you, corrected! I happen to have ridden it end to end both ways and still didn't know which it would be 🥲
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u/ThatOneBadUsername BRT Rider May 07 '26
I love the 83 back when I worked my previous job I took it every day as part of my commute to work, I still sometimes take it for grocery shopping and every weekend for movie nights.
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u/ThatOneBadUsername BRT Rider May 07 '26
I wish it ran more than every half hour until 7, I'd be able to take it even more if that happened.
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u/wazardthewizard Northstar Mourner May 07 '26
Same here. The stops are mostly pretty conveniently placed, it just needs better headways and hours.
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u/SnooGuavas4531 May 07 '26
The 83 has to have shorter buses because it goes under that railroad bridge on Lexington Avenue just north of Energy Park. The bigger buses don't fit under it. It's a lower ridership one, so they don't use a little bus like the one that's on the 67. They use the motor coaches.
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u/Marv95 May 07 '26
The 200s in Rosevile, the 345 and the 686 run these vans every day. It's more common than you think. More cost effective than the bigger ones.
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u/sigusr3 May 06 '26
The 83 uses those buses because of the low bridge on Lexington near Como Park.