Fresh off record-setting ridership in 2013, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority saw even more passengers last year.
The agency, which provides service in several suburbs south of the Minnesota River, provided 2,812,265 rides last year. That was up from 2.7 million in 2013 or an increase of 3.9 percent.
The opening of the Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan, the addition of Wi-Fi on its buses and more frequent service to the University of Minnesota contributed to the surge in ridership. Ridership on the Metro Red Line more than doubled.
"The economy proved stronger in 2014, and gas prices plummeted, but ridership remained strong," said MVTA executive director Beverly Miller.
Express Route 460, which runs between Burnsville and downtown Minneapolis, accounted for 15 percent of MVTA's riders while express Route 477 from Apple Valley to and from downtown Minneapolis carried 13 percent of the load.
Among routes with the biggest growth:
- Local Route 438, a circular route through Eagan with a stop at the Cedar Grove Transit Station across from the Twin Cities Premium Outlets, saw a 76 percent jump from 7,376 in 2013 to 12,996 in 2014.
- Local Route 440, which serves Apple Valley and the Cedar Grove Transit Station, was up 50 percent from 28,786 in 2013 to 43,039 in 2014.
- Express Route 477, which serves the University of Minnesota and the Cedar Grove and Apple Valley transit stations, increased 29 percent from 48,843 in 2013 to 60,698 in 2014.
The Metro Red Line saw ridership rise from 130,733 in 2013 to 265,514 last year. The bus rapid transit (BRT) service that operates on bus-only shoulders along Cedar Avenue between the Mall of America and Apple Valley opened in June 2013 and ran for only six months compared with a full year in 2014.
Average daily ridership peaked at 11,198 in September.
"The MVTA is very pleased with our 2014 ridership growth," said MVTA Board Chair and Apple Valley City Council member Clint Hooppaw.
This year could bring even more growth. The agency recently merged with BlueXpress and expanded service into Shakopee and Prior Lake. MVTA also started service from those communities to the University of Minnesota plus new express service from the Marschall Road Transit Station to downtown Minneapolis.
MVTA has also added more peak-period service between the Rosemount Transit Station to downtown Minneapolis.
The agency also is commissioning a study to look at how to serve the needs of riders in northern Scott County.
MVTA serves Rosemount, Eagan, Burnsville, Savage, Apple Valley, Prior Lake and Shakopee.
