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St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission

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St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission
Founded1969
Headquarters665 Franklin Avenue NE
LocaleSt. Cloud, Minnesota
Service areaSt. Cloud, Minnesota, Sartell, Minnesota, Sauk Rapids, Minnesota and Waite Park, Minnesota
Service typeFixed Route, Paratransit and Commuter
Routes16
Fleet79
Daily ridership2,600 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership788,300 (2023)[2]
Fuel typeDiesel and CNG
Websitehttp://www.ridemetrobus.com/

The St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, branded as Metro Bus, is the primary provider of mass transportation in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Metro Bus service is provided daily using a fleet of 38 full-sized buses and 36 minibuses. Metro Bus also provides service from St. Cloud to the Metro Transit Northstar Commuter Rail station in Big Lake, MN through the Northstar Link Commuter Bus. The agency was formed in 1969 after the private St. Cloud Bus Lines began to cut routes and increase fares, leading the Minnesota State Legislature to establish a Transit Authority to make up for perceived inadequate service.

Sixteen total fixed routes are available in the Metro Bus service area, providing access to the community via approximately 700 bus stops with paratransit service available within a 3/4 mile of all Fixed Routes. The Metro Bus service area includes the cities of St. Cloud, MN, Sartell, MN, Sauk Rapids, MN and Waite Park, MN. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 788,300, or about 2,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Metro Bus offers free travel training for anyone who wishes to learn to use the Metro Bus system. Travel Trainers specialize in helping seniors, individuals with disabilities and people with limited English skills. All trainings are customized to fit the needs of an individual or group.

Metro Bus partners with St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and St. Cloud Technical & Community College (SCTCC) in the U-Pass Ride Program where students currently enrolled at SCSU and SCTCC can ride any Metro Bus route year-round by swiping their valid campus ID through the farebox.

June 1-August 31 each year Metro Bus offers FREE, unlimited Fixed Route rides to youth ages 17 and younger through the Metro Bus U-Go Free Summer Youth Program.

Metro Bus is one of the only public transit agencies in the nation to have transit signal priority at all traffic lights.

The Metro Bus Operations Center, built in 1985 is home to Metro Bus administrative offices, Dial-a-Ride call center, maintenance shop and vehicle storage.

The Metro Bus Transit Center is multimodal transfer facility in downtown St. Cloud, built in 1992 and remodeled and expanded in 2012. Metro Bus is the local Jefferson Lines agent, and intermodal connections made with local private taxi companies and public rural transit systems. Northstar Link Commuter Bus hubs from this location.

The Metro Bus Mobility Training Center, located in downtown St. Cloud, the Mobility Training Center features a simulated street environment for training & assessing an individual’s physical & cognitive abilities as they pertain to using public transportation. The Mobility Training Center is also home to the Community Outreach & Travel Training program.

Regular routes

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Most of these routes operate in loops originating at the downtown transit center at the corner of 1st Street South and 5th Avenue South. On weekdays, most routes run every hour. On weekends, some routes run every half hour during peak times.

  • Route 1: Serves neighborhoods west of downtown, Midtown Square Mall, Crossroads Center, Waite Park, north St. Cloud, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and the St. Cloud Hospital in a large clockwise loop.
  • Route 2: Same destinations as Route 1, but in the opposite direction (counter-clockwise).
  • Route 3: Serves neighborhoods west of downtown, major shopping/retail outlets in west St. Cloud and Waite Park, Crossroads Center, and neighborhoods/apartments in Waite Park.
  • Route 4: Serves neighborhoods/apartments in north St. Cloud
  • Route 5: Serves SCSU, neighborhoods/apartments in south St. Cloud, Waite Park, and Crossroads Center,.
  • Route 6: Serves neighborhoods, apartments, and shopping/retail outlets in east St Cloud in a counter-clockwise loop.
  • Route 8: Serves SCSU and neighborhoods/apartments in extreme southeast St. Cloud.
  • Route 9: Serves neighborhoods/apartments in southeast St. Cloud.
  • Route 10: Serves neighborhoods and industrial areas in northwest St. Cloud. Departs from McLeland Rd/Encore Capital Gr and does not run on Sundays.
  • Route 11: Serves SCSU and neighborhoods/apartments southwest of campus.
  • Route 12: Serves SCSU, neighborhoods south of campus, as well as areas along Route 75 down to I-94.
  • Route 21: Departs from downtown St. Cloud and makes a counter-clockwise loop around Sauk Rapids and Sartell east of the river. Does not run on weekends.
  • Route 22: Departs from downtown St. Cloud and makes a clockwise loop around Sauk Rapids and Sartell east of the river.
  • Route 31: Connects downtown St. Cloud to Sartell via the Sartell Walmart.
  • Route 32: Makes a large loop around Sartell, departing from the Sartell Walmart.
  • Route 33: Connects Crossroads Center to Sauk Rapids via the Sauk Rapids Coborn's.
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The Northstar Link (route 887) is a weekday commuter bus route connecting St. Cloud to Metro Transit's Big Lake station which is currently the northernmost stop on the Northstar Line commuter rail service which opened in 2009. There are 5 full-size buses in the Northstar Link fleet. The Northstar Link travels from the downtown St. Cloud Metro Bus Transit Center to the Big Lake, MN Northstar Rail Station with three stops at the St. Cloud State Miller Center, the East St. Cloud Park & Ride and the Park & Ride in Becker, MN.

Fixed route ridership

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The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response services.[3]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
2004
'06
'08
'10
'12
'14
'16
'18
'20
2022

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "The National Transit Database (NTD)". Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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