2011 Minnesota Transit Systems Cost Per Ride Comparison

Every year the Minnesota Department of Transportation Transit division publishes an annual report providing an overview of Minnesota public transit systems. This report includes a concise and simple look at each system operating in the state, including achievements or highlights, system information, ridership, and expenditures.

Towards the end of the report, operating statistics for each system are provided in a table format. While this is somewhat useful for comparing one specific system against another, or comparing Twin City area operators, it's not ranked specifically by cost per ride. To get a better idea of how Minnesota transit compares on a cost per ride basis, here are Twin Cities Metropolitan area systems compared with greater Minnesota urbanized area systems. A few smaller systems are included as well with an overall focus being on fixed-route service.

2011 Cost Per Ride Comparison for Minnesota Fixed-Route Transit Providers
Provider	Operating Expenditures	Ridership	Cost/Ride
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TRANSIT	$5,375,406	3,533,871	1.52
WINONA TRANSIT SERVICE*	$601,026	251,721	2.39
METRO TRANSIT: LRT	$25,755,340	10,400,864	2.48
ST. CLOUD METRO BUS	$6,047,630	2,286,392	2.65
ROCHESTER PUBLIC TRANSIT	$5,150,838	1,645,272	3.13
MOORHEAD METROPOLITAN AREA TRANSIT	$1,476,225	432,703	3.41
METRO TRANSIT: BUS	$240,340,513	69,023,716	3.48
DULUTH TRANSIT AUTHORITY	$11,733,880	3,081,791	3.81
GREATER MANKATO TRANSIT SYSTEM	$1,504,091	363,401	4.14
METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES	$12,921,070	2,928,301	4.41
MAPLE GROVE TRANSIT	$4,129,402	801,442	5.15
MINNESOTA VALLEY TRANSIT AUTHORITY	$17,369,699	2,588,183	6.71
RAMSEY STAR EXPRESS	$377,505	54,097	6.98
SOUTHWEST TRANSIT	$7,401,936	1,030,018	7.19
PLYMOUTH METROLINK	$3,871,010	515,522	7.51
METRO VAN POOL**	$1,481,345	189,825	7.80
EAST GRAND FORKS TRANSIT***	$252,736	28,789	8.78
LA CRESCENT APPLE EXPRESS****	$262,064	25,996	10.08
SHAKOPEE TRANSIT	$1,202,226	116,595	10.31
LAKER LINES	$950,770	87,213	10.90
RUSH LINE	$405,739	32,410	12.52
TRANSIT LINK**	$6,774,245	329,857	20.54
METRO TRANSIT: NORTHSTAR	$15,636,739	703,427	22.23
Notes: *Winona operates service under contract for WSU and St. Marys  **Not fixed-route service, included due to being part of overall Twin Cities Metro area system structure  ***EGFT service operated under contract by Cities Area Transit  ****Apple Express operated under contract by La Crosse MTU
Source: 2012 Transit Report - A Guide to Minnesota’s Public Transit Systems (MnDot)
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/reports/transitreports/12/index-2012.html

The New Flyer Advanced Style Low Floor, Mapped

Continuing on with the bus model mapping project, here is a map of known operators who operate any LFA style units built by New Flyer Industries.


View New Flyer LFA Operators in a larger map

The LFA model was produced by New Flyer from 2005-2010 and is typically found operating for bus rapid transit (BRT) type applications. Lengths included 35', 40' and 60' with various powertrain types. Diesel-electric hybrid was the most common.

Photos:

The New Flyer Xcelsior, Mapped!

Here's a basic map of all known transit authorities operating or about to operate the New Flyer Xcelsior model in their fleet:

View TAs With Xcelsior Model in a larger map
(Green markers are for operators with Xcelsior in service, yellow markers are for operators with Xcelsior on order. The exact model of Xcelsior is noted.)
Please note, this map may not include all agencies and the information may not be 100% accurate.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays everyone!

Saint Paul Union Depot (SPUD)

The Saint Paul Union Depot was officially reopened to the public on Saturday December 8th, 2012 after months of careful restoration and reconstruction. A few years ago it was somewhat of a eyesore in the Lowertown district of downtown Saint Paul. Most recently, transport based activity from the depot site was in the form of semis hauling mail.

Today SPUD is once again a proper multi-modal transportation hub. While it is not officially multi-modal as of this writing, it will begin serving Amtrak and Jefferson Lines passengers in 2013. In 2014 Metro Green service will serve a station in front of the depot. Regional rail lines are also expected to serve the depot in future years.

In the meantime select Metro Transit and St. Paul bound Minnesota Valley Transit routes serve the depot, providing riders with an attractive location to wait for their ride.

In 2011 I had the opportunity to photograph SPUD during the reconstruction period. Here are some comparative photos:

 Concourse interior on grand opening day:



Concourse interior in 2011:


Exterior stairwell current and 2011:
 


Main platform area, current and 2011 (Note: viewed from opposite directions):



Gate cabinets:



While these few comparative photos can hardly cover the remarkable transformation, I hope folks can appreciate all the hard work and detail that went into restoring this historic building and site.

Building of Interest

Like most folks, I generally don't go around looking specifically for architecture and building styles when I'm out and about. Nonetheless there are still some things that will catch my eye. For me any building with a decent amount of color or shape will capture my interest.

One building that recently caught my eye was the office building located at 1185 North Concord in South Saint Paul, MN.  It's nothing spectacular, but the way it's built into an area surrounded by a steep hill or bluff, and a not so spacious gap between the road and this bluff, makes it sort of interesting. The colored tiles on each end however really make it stand out.

1185 as viewed from across Concord Street looking south

Currently the building appears to be partly empty. I'm guessing at one point however it may have been a thriving office building. Also of particular interest with this building was the custom bus shelter across the street for northbound riders.

The bus shelter across the street is painted to mimic the color tiles on the ends of the building.

Bus shelters that are specifically built for a business or company tend to be rare in the Twin Cities outside of downtown Minneapolis. This particular shelter structure appears to have been around a while, and was likely added back in MTC days. It is still served by Metro Transit route 71, although I doubt this stop generates as much ridership as it might have previously.

 What the future holds for this building is unknown. However it is an interesting sight. 

Minneapolis to Move Towards Single-Sort Recycling System

Despite the move by waste haulers across the metro area to single-sort recycling, Minneapolis has stayed with their original curb-sort recycling method. All that will change however thanks to the Minneapolis City Council's Transportation and Public Works Committee vote Tuesday to transition towards the single-sort system.

An example of the type of recycling container currently used by Minneapolis residents

With the single-sort method, all recyclable materials such as paper, cans, bottles, and boxes are placed together in a single container. The material is collected and then sorted out at the recycling center or collection facility. Containers for recycling are typically larger than the 18 gallon bins Minneapolis currently uses. For example, Waste Management and Allied Waste both offer large carts, with recycling instructions on the lid, for collecting recycling.
 

Currently, Minneapolis has some of the most extensive sorting requirements available for recycling curbside. There are nine categories, and little tolerance for improperly sorted material. 18 gallon bins with lids are issued for biweekly recycling per residence. The bins tend to fill quickly, which also may contribute to the poor participation rate of 18%.

WCCO TV recently covered the changes coming, and has a report along with this footage of the current system:


While it is ideal to try to produce less waste in the first place, it will be interesting to see if this new system leads to better participation and material recovery for Minneapolis, and Hennepin County.