> News+Events > Features > Transit + Transportation

Transit centers help attract new riders, boost system efficiency

Large facilities provide more frequent service, customer amenities

The steady growth of workers commuting from far-flung suburbs to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul over the past two decades has given rise to a new form of public infrastructure: the transit center.

Located at strategic crossroads that serve many bus routes, in the old days these facilities were not much more than a lighted bus shelter — sometimes with heat. But the newer ones have grown larger with additional passenger conveniences to meet increasing expectations and attract new riders.

“The newer facilities are the result of a customer-driven process,” said Chris Weyer, an engineer with Metro Transit who oversees planning for transit facilities. “To serve our riders better, transit centers now provide more frequent bus service and additional amenities.

“Ridership from these facilities has increased over the years, so we know we’re on the right track,” Weyer said.

An estimated 25,000-30,000 bus riders use one of the nearly two dozen transit centers operated by either Metro Transit or other regional transit providers. That’s 13-15 percent of all weekday bus riders, and the figure is growing.

More transit centers coming

By definition, all transit centers are enclosed, lighted and heated. The larger ones have restrooms, phones and driver relaxation areas. Some centers include coffee and snack vending machines. The largest ones, in places like Maple Grove and Burnsville, even have on-site personnel to answer questions during peak hours.

Weyer said transit centers are part of an evolutionary process. “They reflect the growth and maturity of the regional bus system, especially as homes have expanded deep into outlying suburbs and beyond.”

Metro Transit currently has 15 transit centers outside of downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul serving about 75 bus routes. Some are located at key crossroads serving a handful of bus routes — like the one on 42nd Street and North Broadway in Robbinsdale, or the one at Rice Street and Little Canada Road in Little Canada. Many are located at or adjacent to regional shopping malls like Southdale, Northtown or the Maplewood Mall. See a transit system map, including all transit centers.

The largest centers are not owned by Metro Transit, but rather by “opt-out” communities. These communities chose, in the early 1980s, to “opt out” of the regional transit taxing district and run their own transit services. These large, suburban stand-alone facilities with adjacent parking lots are most often located in the region’s fastest growing transit areas like Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Burnsville and Eagan. Ridership on opt-out bus routes grew 10 percent in 2005.

Construction costs vary widely, from $150,000 for a small center like the one in Little Canada, to $5 million for a large one such as the Uptown Transit Center in south Minneapolis.

Transit centers have already proven a key development tool for bus planners looking 5-10 years down the road, and more such facilities are coming. The region’s newest transit center opened in Brooklyn Center in December 2004. The next will open at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis in March. Another one is scheduled to open in Inver Grove Heights in 2007.

Rider satisfaction with Metro Transit is high. In a June 2005 customer survey, 90% of riders said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Metro Transit services, up from 84% in 2003, the last time the survey was done. “Part of the reason we get high marks, no doubt, is because we’ve been adding such nice new facilities in the past few years,” said Bruce Howard, Metro Transit’s director of marketing.