Metro Transit to expand routes, add express Park and Ride service
Starting next month, Metro Transit will increase service on more than 20 routes across the Twin Cities area.
Officials also say starting Aug. 16, they're adding service to the area's busiest routes, including routes 18, 6, 68 and 645. Route 61, which runs between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, will also see expanded service every day.
Metro Transit says it will open new express bus routes to and from Park and Rides in Blaine, Mounds View, Minnetonka, Coon Rapids and Brooklyn Park starting on Aug. 16.
It will also bring back two routes that were suspended during the pandemic lockdown: route 134 which operates between Highland Park and downtown Minneapolis, and route 765 which runs between downtown Minneapolis and the Target North Campus in Brooklyn Park.
Metro Transit says the August expansion will represent a 5% increase in service.
There are also additional service improvements coming later this year. Starting in October, trips on the Blue and Green lines will run more often starting at 7 a.m. Then in December, the E Line will open, running between Southdale and the University of Minnesota.
In 2024, Metro Transit says ridership increased by 6% compared to the year before. In January, it also lowered fares: full-priced adult fares on non-express bus routes and the light rail are $2 a day. For young people, seniors and Medicare recipients, the price is $1.
