Bus changes coming

Metro Transit just announced its bus service improvements going into effect Saturday, Aug. 19 2023. (Service changes always start on a Saturday to get the kinks out before Monday.) Thanks to success in hiring new drivers, the driver shortage is alleviated and more service is being added to routes that need it most. The following routes in the Southwest Connector readership area will see more buses soon:
•The Orange Line will run every 15 minutes instead of every half hour on weekdays until 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
• Route 2 will run every 10 minutes instead of every 15 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.
• Route 9 will run every half hour instead of once an hour in the early mornings and early evenings on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays.
• Route 17 will have fewer stops, improving the speed of the line. The confusing 17C and 17D branches in the Saint Louis Park/Hopkins area will be simplified. All buses going to the area will be 17D, and they will all stop at Knollwood Target and the part of Hopkins on the other side of Highway 7 in both directions. Currently, the 17D crosses Highway 7 without going to Target outbound, and only the infrequent 17C actually goes to Target, though both branches stop at Target inbound. This lunacy will be no more!
• Route 18 will run every 10 minutes instead of every 15 minutes on weekday from noon to 6:30 p.m. as far as 66th St.
• The Route 46 trip which starts at Vernon and Eden in Edina at 7:30 a.m. will leave two minutes earlier.
I am planning a new series for the “Transit Connector” on where specific bus routes in the Southside Pride readership area go, and on how to ride the bus. If you have specific questions for me, please email news@swconnector.com.
Quality public transit depends on two things: the transit agency, which in the Twin Cities is Metro Transit, and the people, including Southwest Connector readers. Just like almost everything else, Metro Transit suffered during the pandemic. Then, to add insult to injury (or maybe just to add more injury), the sudden rise in crime and violence on Metro Transit vehicles and property caused many people to avoid the buses and trains. Then they had a driver shortage and a hard time hiring new drivers, even after major wage increases. Now that things are turning around, it is up to us, the people, to give Metro Transit another chance to be the public service it was before 2020. Please learn what you can, make suggestions for improvement when you can, and use Metro Transit when it makes sense to.