Metro Transit will allow more passengers on its buses and light-rail trains starting Monday when capacity limits rise.
The agency will allow up to 20 passengers at a time on its standard 40-foot buses and up to 30 passengers on its longer 60-foot articulated buses. As many as 33 passengers will be allowed in light-rail cars.
Metro Transit also is dropping its request for riders to take only essential trips and will be replaced with a request to travel responsibly. Masks will still be required and passengers are asked to keep distance between them and other riders, Metro Transit said.
When the pandemic hit, Metro Transit limited ridership on buses and trains to essential trips and allowed only 10 passengers at a time on its regular-size buses and a maximum of 15 at a time on its longer buses. Capacity in rail cars was capped at 25%.
The new limits are supported by the Minnesota Department of Health, Metro Transit said.
"Gov. Walz's recent 'turn of the dial' is leading us into a new phase of pandemic management. As more activity is allowed, we expect to see more demand for transit," General Manager Wes Kooistra said in a statement.
Buses that have reached capacity will not pick up passengers, but will display a message on the destination sign that reads "Next Bus Please." Drivers are encouraged to stop and tell waiting passengers when the next bus may arrive.
The move to increase capacity comes after Metro Transit reported a 53% drop in ridership last year, owing much of that decline to the pandemic.
Local bus service was down 48% and provided about 22 million rides in 2020. Light-rail ridership on the Blue and Green lines was down by 59%, to 10.3 million, according to figures from the Met Council, which operates Metro Transit.
Metro Transit said it will monitor ridership to determine which routes might need additional trips or larger buses to avoid overcrowding.
"We take these concerns seriously and will continue to monitor ridership to understand where and when more service may be needed,"
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
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Metro Transit increases capacity limits on buses and trains - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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