From General Manager Wes Kooistra
Last week, during a U.S. Senate hearing held here at Metro Transit, a rider from Brooklyn Park talked about the practical impact of infrequent transit service.
"Without access to reliable transportation,” she said, “simple tasks like shopping and receiving a haircut can occupy significant portions of someone’s day.”
There’s an inherent sense of unfairness in the idea that it could take several hours to run a few basic errands using transit, while those who have access to a vehicle could accomplish the same tasks in far less time.
To help our riders get where they want to go in a reasonable amount of time, we must continue to provide as much service as we can while working to make faster, more frequent transit more widely available in our region.
Our commitment to maintaining and expanding service has persisted through this pandemic and is reflected in our proposed 2022 operating budget. The Metropolitan Council will adopt a final budget in December following a public comment period. As currently proposed, this budget would allow us to:
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Offer nearly the same amount of bus and light rail service as we did before the pandemic through the end of next year.
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Open and operate two new Bus Rapid Transit lines, the METRO Orange Line and METRO D Line.
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Make critical investments in safety and security, including plans to have an expanded civilian presence on transit.
Maintaining service and improving the customer experience are foundational elements for our pandemic recovery and of our promise to help address racial and economic disparities in our region.
But this work, as always, comes with a cost. Next year’s proposed operating budget is just over $491 million.
Our largest source of revenue, the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax, is projected to increase slightly and we expect to collect more fares as riders continue returning to transit.
Still, we will need to balance the budget by using our reserves and one-time federal relief funding, limited resources that do not present long-term solutions. Without a dedicated and stable source of tax revenues, we face an operating deficit beginning in mid-2025.
Our capital budget, which will also be adopted later this year, must similarly reflect our resolve to emerge from the pandemic as a stronger, better service provider. The five-year plan includes funding to maintain our fleet and infrastructure, improve our shelter network and continue building out our BRT and light rail network.
While not yet approved, a proposed infrastructure bill could support and expand on these efforts by bringing significant federal funding to the region in the coming years.
Drafting and managing our complex operating and capital budgets has never been an easy task, and the responsibility has only gotten more challenging since the start of the pandemic.
But new federal and state investments demonstrate that political leaders and policy makers recognize that transit is an essential community service. And through the benefit of these significant investments, we have proposed a budget that shows our commitment to service, supports the needs of our customers and reflects the values and priorities of our region.
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 Earlier this week, bus operator Antonio Castro brought a vaccine bus north to International Falls, just shy of Canada, where it stopped at the Packaging Corporation of America and the Rainy River Community College. Since April, six specially equipped vaccine buses have been used at nearly 300 clinics in 98 zip codes and 35 counties throughout Minnesota. The vaccine buses will continue traveling the state through the fall and are currently being staged at a vaccination clinic on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
With children returning to school and COVID-19 cases rising again, everyone – regardless of vaccination status – is encouraged to review their COVID-19 testing options and to seek testing if they’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, recently traveled or attended a large group gathering. Employees whose children are returning to school may consider getting tested more regularly, even if they are not experiencing symptoms.
While most COVID-19 tests are free, you may be asked to provide proof of health insurance. Results are typically available within 2-4 days.
As a reminder, beginning October 11, employees who are not fully vaccinated must test weekly (and test negative) to report for on-site work. The testing options and information below are for general COVID-19 testing and are not the instructions for meeting that requirement. Those details on the Met Council's testing process will be provided soon.
If you are experiencing symptoms, you should contact your medical provider before seeking testing.
Vaccination deadline approaching
The last day to get your first dose of the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine, available through the Well@Work clinics, and meet the October 11 vaccination deadline is Monday, Sept. 6.
To make an appointment, visit healthpartners.com/appointment or call the scheduling line for the location you'd like to visit:
- Downtown St. Paul: 375 Jackson Street, Suite 240 (skyway level): 952-967-5474
- Heywood Office: 560 6th Avenue North, Minneapolis: 952-967-7468
We need your help with mask distribution!
We have over 100,000 masks and need help preparing them for distribution. Beginning Monday, Sept. 6, and continuing every day until further notice, you can help package individual masks into baggies for distribution to customers. The packaging will be done in the third floor of the Metro Transit Police and Office Facility. For more information, contact Pam Steffen.
 Buses lined up and ready for fairgoers at the 28th Ave. Park & Ride in Bloomintgton.
Ridership remains low compared to 2019, a year which set attendance records for 6 of the 12 days, plus overall attendance. So far, rides are down about 85% when compared to 2019. On Wednesday, we had an estimated 7,705 rides, representing 4% of fair attendees. Through Tuesday, attendance was 599,806, compared to 924,882 in 2019.
Based on demand, scheduled State Fair service may vary from day to day. Operators may not be needed for their entire markup and may be sent back to the garage.
Metro Transit appreciates all the efforts to provide State Fair and regular service. We appreciate all staff, including facilities workers who ensured that power was restored and provided backup lighting at the Cottage Grove location following a storm.
State Fair ambassadors needed: Metro Transit still needs ambassadors onsite to assist customers at our three Park & Ride locations. Contact Kim Littlejohn to sign up for the remaining days. Ambassadors should wear masks while on duty.
Get vaccinated at the State Fair: The State of Minnesota will offer $100 Visa gift cards on site to the first 3,600 Minnesotans who get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the Minnesota State Fair. Minnesotans 12 years of age and older are eligible.Walk-ins are welcome or fairgoers can make an appointment beforehand. Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Labor Day). Located at the North End Event Center, north of Murphy Avenue. No identification or insurance will be necessary to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Make an appointment or learn more at State Fair Vaccine.
 After a year, Veronica Carter looks forward to returning to Route 114, an Express line providing service to the University of Minnesota.
After working in a few states and a little over a two decades later, Veronica Carter found her career path. “Getting a job with Metro Transit helped ground me,” Carter said. “It helped me choose to live and make a career in Minnesota.”
As a young mother of two, she drove school buses in northern Illinois and in central Indiana. After arriving in Minnesota, she completed her associates degree while starting as a bus operator at Nicollet in 2015. “I wanted to finish the degrees I started,” she said. “After finding transit, my path changed.”
At transit, Carter mostly works on express bus service, which she likes most. “They call it express, but I call it ‘easy-flowin’ service,” she said. “The routes and the people are great.”
As school returns to in-class learning, she looks forward to operating Route 114, serving the University of Minnesota for the first time in over a year. “I enjoy hearing customers tell me how happy they are that I’m there to get them to and from work or school on time, as well as safe," Carter said.
As Carter returns to express, she’ll celebrate six years at Metro Transit and looks forward to many more years here until retirement. She hopes to eventually find a position to help other operators navigate their careers at transit. “When you weigh all your options, it’s better to be here than anywhere else,” she said. “You can grow more.”
Upcoming hiring events Metro Transit still needs bus operators and will continue to hold hiring events for the remainder of 2021. The next operator hiring events will be held at the Instruction Center on:
- Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to noon
- Tuesday, Sept. 14, 14 from 4 to 7 p.m.
New hires who successfully complete training are eligible for a $1,000 bonus and the employee who refer them can earn a $600 bonus. Learn more at MetroTransit.org/drive
Metro Transit is asking staff to share their story and memories of working on Sept. 11, 2001. On that fateful day, Metro Transit quickly pulled together mid-day service to get people out of downtown and home again. Collected reflections would appear in Insights on Friday, Sept. 10. If you worked that day and wish to be included in this effort, please contact the editor at insights@metrotransit.org.
Customer Relations representative Jeremy Hop recently received a commendation for his helpful information.
I just wanted to tell you Jeremy was such a big help to me this morning. He told me things I had never heard before. I'm an 82-year-old retired teacher and I told him I'd give him an A+.
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When staff move into the new Rail Control Center (RCC) at the Blue Line Operations & Maintenance Facility, they’ll have an additional 3,000 square feet more room, plus workstation improvements.
As the RCC increases the number of staff and more rail projects launch, this 5,000 square-foot space will help Metro Transit grow. The RCC will increase staff to a total of four assistant managers, nine senior supervisors and 48 supervisors to help support the Green Line Extension.
“We also have a spot already for the next large console that would be for the Blue Line Extension,” said Craig Bell, manager of rail operations for the RCC. “From the control center, we will have the capacity to dispatch any additional light rail lines we put in.”
The new RCC will have seven large consoles compared to the previous six, one more for the Green Line Extension. There will be two small consoles for training, writing reports, and monitoring closed-circuit TVs, and a situation room to observe operations through a window.
Above the consoles is a video wall with 30 55-inch screens. They will show track alignment, traction power status, weather radar, CCTV camera feeds from all station platforms, tunnels and bridges and any system alarms that are generated by a red signal overrun or tunnel intrusion.
Other changes include improved workstations with better lighting that doesn’t create glare on surfaces, individual heaters, fans, and cup holders.
RCC staff have been working from an alternate location since July 12 and look forward to moving into the new space around mid-September.
Following move-in, work is expected to continue into October on the former RCC space to convert it into a fully functioning kitchen, expanded locker room, meeting room, and four offices.
During September, employees are encouraged to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month by:
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Practicing inclusive language. Deaf, upper case ‘D’ most commonly refers to someone who considers themselves to be culturally Deaf and part of the Deaf community and typically do not view their deafness as a medical condition or a disability.
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Learning some basic American Sign Language. Practice common words or phrases with someone who uses ASL. This week, try spelling your name with ASL.
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In memoriam: Paul Walker: Condolences to friends, family members and union brothers and sisters mourning the loss of Heywood Operator Paul Walker, who passed away on Monday, Aug. 23. Paul was with Metro Transit for more than 31 years. A funeral service was held Thursday at the Christian Life Center in Golden Valley. As always, free grief support is available through Sand Creek. For more information, call 888-243-5744.
School bus service returns: Metro Transit welcomes back students of all ages from around the region. As campus reopens, Route 114 returns to express service at the University of Minnesota for the first time in a year. Other limited stop and express routes have also returned to service. High school service will return largely as it was pre-pandemic, with a few minor changes to address new bell times and travel patterns. This year, more schools are joining the Student Pass program, including the Heritage Academy. Service changes for the 2021-22 school year went into effect on August 21.
Audio conferencing for Microsoft Teams now available: Audio conferencing is now available in Microsoft Teams for all Council employees. Audio conferencing adds a local phone number for attendees – internal or external to the Met Council – to call into a Teams meeting from a telephone. To learn more about this feature, visit the Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing page on MetNet . If you have any questions, please contact ECM@metc.state.mn.us .
September-October is Hispanic Heritage Month: From September 15 to October 15, Insights will include staff profiles to help celebrate the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. For more information about this celebration, visit HispanicHeritageMonth.gov. If you are Hispanic/Latino and wish to be included in this effort, contact the editor at Insights@metrotransit.org.
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