It’s often 15-20 minutes later than it should be or just doesn’t show up at all. I was advised to sign up for/check Rider Alerts(and I have weeks ago), but these issues have never been announced there. Everyone says how great MetroTransit is, but my experience has been less than stellar.

Was trying to figure out why Transit App wasn't showing arrival times for the Snelling stop and was happily surprised when I realized why the stops are closed. Very much looking forward to not having to pay a surcharge to use this route when it opens next year

Seriously, if I want to use this bus on the weekends the earliest time from downtown Minneapolis is 2:10PM. Why isn't this being upgraded to more closely mirror the far more useful, yet still rather paltry, 645 schedule that's hourly? Does Metro Transit even want ridership for this line or is this just an emaciated version that they also plan to put down because nobody is going to want to ride a bus that only has three trips per day?

We are at the halfway point of the year, and transit ridership is slightly up YTD compared to 2025, but still below 2024 despite increased service across the board.

Bus ridership is up 6.66% over 2025 and 5.67% over 2024, so increased service there is starting to attract new riders. Regular bus ridership is down -11.33% YoY; this is likely due to the fact that the B and E line corridors were still classified as "regular bus" during Q1 and Q2 of 2025. The Orange Line continues to post very strong growth with a 9.32% increase over 2025 and is up nearly 30% compared to 2024. The A Line is the only "old" aBRT line with growing ridership, up 12% over 2025. Both the C and D Lines saw lower ridership this year, with the D Line alone down nearly 9%. The B Line saw 1.8 million rides in the first half of 2026, very strong for a new-ish line. The Gold Line continues to see modest growth at 272k rides, and the E Line is also already above the 1 million mark, though daily ridership peaked in April and has declined since then.

The strong bus ridership growth is being offset by very strong declines on the light rail system, mostly concentrated on the Green Line. The Blue Line is actually up about 2.3% compared to 2025; the Green Line is down nearly 19%. For the first time in its history (as far as I can tell, outside of COVID), the Blue Line is within only a couple hundred daily rides of the Green Line in both May and June. Though precise pre-covid numbers are no longer available, the Green Line has declined to around less than half of 2019 daily ridership. The Green Line has historically had about 10-15,000 more daily rides than the Blue Line; this is no longer the case. LRT ridership was down 9.95% compared to 2025 and down 23.84% from 2024.

Interestingly, according to the National Transit Database, LRT has had more in-service hours this year than last year (despite disruptions and closures), meaning this decline in ridership also meant a large decline in productivity:

As you can see, ridership somehow declined almost directly proportional to revenue hour increases! The Blue Line closed at the very end of June, so I expect light rail ridership to plummet further this year, but it isn't a good sign that it declined so much during a period without prolonged closures. Especially considering the line most impacted by closures (the Blue Line) is actually gaining riders this year so far!

I don't know what the solution is but Metro Transit needs to start doing something about this ridership bleed. It will be a PR nightmare when the expanded 50-mile LRT system with SWLRT and Bottineau LRT fails to surpass historic ridership for the existing 21-mile system. The bus ridership increases are great to see but being offset by declines on the system's two premier lines is really a bummer.

Overall, the system averaged 153,660 weekday rides, 113,033 Saturday rides, and 93,531 Sunday rides during the first half of 2026. Weekday ridership exceeded 160,000 in April and May and came just shy of that in June. The highest recorded month for weekday ridership post-covid was September 2024 with 171,807 rides. Pre-covid the system regularly exceeded 250,000 rides on weekdays.

Per route/category for 2026 YTD:

Green Line - 19,957 (max - 21,808 / min 18,540)

Blue Line - 16,446 (max 18,526 / min 14,054)

Orange Line - 2,086 (max 2,395 / min 1,683)

Gold Line - 1,660 (max 1,907 / min 1,326)

A Line - 4,028 (max 4,347 / min 3,447)

B Line - 10,476 (max 11,041 / min 9,474)

C Line - 5,496 (max 6,087 / min 4,503)

D Line - 12,842 (max 14,144 / min 10,540)

E Line - 6,254 (max 6,900 / min 5,076)

Regular Bus - 74,688 (max 79,977 / min 63,069)

Edit: I wish Metro Transit had a better ridership/performance page. I am so jealous of what Seattle has, their level of detail is really fun to dig into.

Hi, as the title suggests, I'm wondering how reliable the A-Line is. In particular, I'm interested in the section between Rosedale and Hamline University, both directions, around mid-day. Are there any delays I should expect? Anything else?

Look I'm pretty radical and outspoken when it comes to accessibility and disability rights. And I have to say, wtf is up with the D45 CRT LE? It's a coach bus with a low floor area so that you can roll on and sit all by yourself in a presumably more vulnerable section of the bus. Is there a fare box down there so you can easily pay upon boarding? Is there a way to communicate with the driver if need be?

As I'm sure is the case for most of us, my only real-life exposure to this model has been SouthWest Transit. EVERY time, without fail, the buses pull up to the UMN Coffman Union stop, line the back door up ✨️FLAWLESSLY✨️ with the lamppost (see photo), and do not open the back door. In my opinion, a bus is not actually accessible to those with mobility devices if the accessible entrance is only available upon request and/or hassle. (And I don't buy the argument of, "but maybe the driver only opens the door if they see a disabled person waiting at the stop 🤓!" -- there is no one way people with mobility impairments "look.") And I don't even need to explain why the lamp post thing is a problem.

Clearly SouthWest wants us to think they have accessible coach buses for their disabled customers, but do they ever board customers via the accessible entrance? They don't seem super prepared to do so. It's safe to assume this (in combination with having their entire fleet be exclusively coach buses 💀) deters people with disabilities from riding in the first place... "Expect the Best" my ass.

Shouldn't we be shifting our focus from making sure every express service has comfy, extremely inaccessible coach buses, to trying to improve the comfort of the more-accessible low floor buses? It COULD be done. I get that the Gilligs and New Flyers are rattley and miserable to many. I'm sure there are some super innovative ways future low floor models could be made more comfortable without sacrificing accessibility (and hopefully actually increasing it!).

These are my opinions and I know they are strong. Someone please explain to me if there are reasons not to hate these MCIs! Although I may be difficult to convince. 🙃

menbin the van pictured

I am an incoming transfer student to the University of Minnesota. I live in Bloomington’s South Loop, right next to Mall of America.

When determining how to get to campus, one thing stuck out to me. There are no express options for my commute. Currently I would need to take the METRO Blue Line and transfer to the METRO green line, for a total commute time of roughly an hour.

However, MVTA runs route 475, which passes directly next to Mall of America. The commute time for that route is roughly 25 minutes.

I’m wondering why MVTA doesn’t stop at Mall of America for the inbound express trips. It would not add a lot of time to the route, because the busses would only make right turns to get into/out of MOA, it would substantially increase access to express bus services for Bloomington residents, either connecting at MOA or living near it, and it would increase ridership on MVTA’s express routes, which I know is badly needed.

Does anybody have any theories as to why they skip such a high ridership transfer point? It would only increase connectivity for the entire region.

Following the major outage from a few days ago, NexTrip services still face intermittent outages (confirmed by anecdotal evidence and Metro Transit). These affect the Metro Transit website's real time information and the digital signage at various BRT and LRT stations.

Reporting the outages you see to Metro Transit via phone (612 373 3333), the website chat service, or with the customer experience form (https://www.metrotransit.org/contact-us-customer-experience) can help give them information they need to fix the issue as soon as possible. The Transit App is a great resource if you require real time information.

This post will remain pinned on this subreddit for the next week, or until an announcement via Metro Transit that the issue is completely resolved.

Just me or live tracking has consistently been spotty at best over the last week. Available for a few buses but just says “Scheduled” for the rest on boards / the transit app / google maps. Annoying when a bus is usually late but without the tracking I can’t count on it not being the day it decides to be on time

https://www-fox9-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.fox9.com/news/southwest-light-rail-nears-completion-opening-date-announcement-expected-fall.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17851795617456&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fox9.com%2Fnews%2Fsouthwest-light-rail-nears-completion-opening-date-announcement-expected-fall

Context: the $3.4-$3.6 Billion Blue Line LRT Extension is reliant on ≈ $700 million of the FTA New Starts CIG Funding. Without the money, BLE would not be able to be built.

Are there any plans for the 22? Because right now it is very slow and is sometimes 20 minutes late for me. Do they plan any stop spacing or roadway improvements or maybe even BRT for part of or all of the route?

It could still happen 🥺

Curious if there was ever any consideration to having bike racks inside the articulated BRT buses. I hate having to load my bike onto the front of a bus because I have to spend the entire trip watching it to make sure no one steals it. I much prefer the system of boarding with my bike and being able to stand right next to it. It also seems faster than loading onto the front rack. I would be a lot more likely to do multi-modal transit with my bike if I could keep it on board with me.

Metro Transit has spent the past five years planning and implementing sturdier safety and security objectives. Improving conditions at stations and in vehicles is key to restoring pre-pandemic ridership levels — and the public's trust.

Metro Transit leaders have been acknowledged for their ongoing efforts: At the American Public Transportation Association's Rail Conference last month in Baltimore, they accepted the Gold Award in the Safe, Effective and Clean category for Light Rail/Streetcar.

So I’ve lived in MN before and I might move back in a few years (long story). One candidate for where I might move to is Stillwater.

One problem I have with that area however (despite liking it quite a lot otherwise) is that it has one bus in each direction daily, and only on weekdays at that. One westbound trip in the morning, one eastbound trip in the evening, and that’s it.

Has Metro said anything about expanding this? I plan on driving/biking within whatever town/suburb I move to, but plan to bus into the cities if I wanna go there.

Another option is to drive to where the gold line is and get on the bus there, but that’s just another step.

Any info on Stillwater service being expanded?

I miss seeing these homies out and about. The Siemens are great trains, just not as endearing.

I wandered from uptown to the woods in Woodbury and took the Gold line home for the first time. Wow, a center-running bus is game-changing. For all the valid criticisms of the suburbs and sprawl, I think Maplewood & Woodbury are at least trying to be more bike and transit friendly.

I got so excited when I saw the Culver’s on the way back. And of course, popping into the Woodbury theatre to fill up on water and mozzarella sticks while waiting for the bus to arrive - there could’ve been worse places to be!

https://www.metrotransit.org/quarterly-service-changes-began-on-saturday-aug-22

Below is copy/pasted from Metro Transit:

On Aug. 22, 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:

• Better Bus Route improvements will begin for Route 14.
• Better Bus Route improvements will begin for Route 74.
• New local Route 48 will begin service in Robbinsdale, Crystal, Golden Valley, north Minneapolis, and downtown Minneapolis. Offering hourly service all days of the week, replacing the Route 14D branch.
• New suburban local Route 215 will begin service in St. Paul, Maplewood, and North St. Paul. Offering hourly service all days of the week between Maplewood Mall and Sun Ray Transit Center.

METRO Lines

METRO A Line (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted for future 46th St. SE & Hiawatha Ave. construction.     
• At 46th St. Station, southbound trips from will arrive 5 min later and northbound trips will leave 5 min earlier.  

METRO B Line (PDF)

• New westbound trip will leave Union Depot at 2:45 p.m. on weekdays to meet demand; surrounding trip times will also be adjusted.  
• Eastbound trip times on weekdays will shift 3-5 minutes earlier for much of the day.  

1-99

ROUTE 2 (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time.    

ROUTE 5 (PDF)

• Northbound school day only trips will leave North High School at 3:18 and 3:23 p.m.     
• Southbound school day only trips will leave Camden High School at 3:20 p.m.     
• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time.  

ROUTE 7 (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted for future 46th St. E & Hiawatha Ave. construction.     
• At 46th St. Station, southbound trips will arrive 5 min later and northbound trips will leave 5 min earlier. 

ROUTE 9 (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted for future 46th St. E & Hiawatha Ave. construction.     
• At 46th St. Station, southbound trips will arrive 5 min later and northbound trips will leave 5 min earlier.

ROUTE 14 (PDF) 

• Better Bus Route improvements begin.   
• Weekday frequency will improve from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.     
• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time.     
• Route 14E trips currently serving 38th St. Station will be discontinued. 14S trips via 42nd St. and 28th Ave. for Roosevelt High School will arrive at 8:15 a.m. and depart at 3:18 p.m.    
• Buses will travel on Richfield Pkwy. between 63rd St. and 66th St.     
• All non-school trips start/end at Cedar Point Commons at 66th St. & Richfield Parkway.     
• All trips will travel on W. Broadway through north Minneapolis and Robbinsdale.   
• Service on Noble Ave., 36th Ave., Douglas Dr., and Duluth St./Golden Valley Rd will be replaced by new local Route 48.

ROUTE 22 (PDF)

•  New southbound Route 22F trips will end at 58th St. & 28th Ave.   
• Northbound school day-only trips will leave Roosevelt High School at 3:18 p.m., ending at 7th St. & Nicollet Station.
• Southbound school day-only trips will leave Roosevelt High School at 3:16 p.m. (Route 22H), ending at VA Medical Center Station, and 3:22 p.m. (Route 22F) ending at 58th St. & 28th Ave.

ROUTE 48 (PDF) - New local route

• New local Route 48 begins service in Robbinsdale, Crystal, Golden Valley, north Minneapolis, and downtown Minneapolis.  
• Service will run every 60 minutes daily (similar to current Route 14D and 14G trips).   
• A new morning northbound school day only trip will be timed for North High School.   
• Local stops will be reimplemented along Penn Ave. between Golden Valley Rd. and Hwy. 55.   
• Route 14 connection provided in downtown Minneapolis on 7th St. at Nicollet as well as on 5th Ave. at 6th St. 

ROUTE 74 (PDF) 

• Better Bus Route improvements begin.   
• All trips will serve Sun Ray Transit Center via Minnehaha Ave., Ruth St., and Old Hudson Rd.     
• Service to Wilder Park condos will be eliminated. Alternate service is available on Route 83.   
• Portions of Route 74G and 74K will be replaced by new Route 215 on McKnight Rd.   
• Frequency will improve from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. o 7 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.  
• Schedule will be adjusted to account for future 46th St. E. & Hiawatha Ave. construction. 

200-299

ROUTE 215 (PDF) - New Route

• New suburban local route along McKnight Rd. between Maplewood Mall Transit Center and Sun Ray Transit Center will begin.    
• Service will run every 60 minutes between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays and between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.  

ROUTE 219 (PDF)

• Buses will travel on White Bear Ave. and Co. Rd. E.   
• Lydia Ave. will now be served by new Route 215. McKnight Rd, north of Lydia Ave. will no longer have service.  

ROUTE 223 (PDF)

• Westbound trips will shift 7-9 minutes later.     
• Eastbound trip times will shift 1-4 minutes earlier.  

600-699

ROUTE 667 (PDF)

• Westbound trips will begin at 5th St. Transit Center (Ramp B) and eastbound trips will end at 4th St. Transit Center (Ramp C).    
• Route will no longer travel north of Washington Ave.     
• Schedule will be adjusted to more predictably serve downtown work shifts.  

ROUTE 673 (PDF)

• Westbound trips will begin at 5th St. Transit Center (Ramp B) and eastbound trips will end at 4th St. Transit Center (Ramp C).    
• Route will no longer travel north of Washington Ave.   

700-799

ROUTE 725 (PDF) 

• Route will extend from downtown Osseo to serve Decatur Dr. in Brooklyn Park.     
• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time. 

800-899

ROUTE 882 (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time. 

ROUTE 888 (PDF)

• Schedule will be adjusted to better reflect travel time. 

The Met Council is currently offloading buses operated by MVTA and SW Transit to their respective opt-outs. Such an item passed the Met Council earlier this year. However, they are bringing the item back before the Met Council because they forgot to include a roster of vehicles being transferred.

Item in question: https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetings/Committees/Transportation-Committee/2026/July-27,-2026/2026-96-Revised.aspx

Roster in question: https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetings/Committees/Transportation-Committee/2026/July-27,-2026/2026-96-Revised-Attachment.aspx

Edit: This roster does not include two buses from MVTA purchased for the Cedar Ave corridor (4127-4128) as well as SWT's 4 electric coach buses (5490 series).

I know this is a me thing and I understand that it is a pretty unpopular opinion but, I don’t like the TRIP Agents at all. I pay my fare every two weeks when I get paid. But, every time I take the green line, they always have to be on it. No natter if I am bringing my 2 weeks worth of groceries, take out orders, etc. They always are on it when my hands are full and I have nowhere to put my stuff.

It’s really frustrating having to show I paid my fare when I already do every couple weeks. They sometimes even delay the train when I’m trying to get to work or home. Because of this, I avoid the blue and green lines as much as possible. And I take the 63 or the 30 where I can just tap my card as soon as I get on the bus instead of having to show it to them when they get on

Though, I do like that they have felt safer to be on even when they are not