Crime on Metro Transit fell last year as agency cracks down on smoking

Metro Transit’s resurgence continued last year as ridership on buses and trains rose for the third consecutive year, while reported crime, one of the factors that has kept riders away, fell by 6%, agency officials said Monday.

The state’s largest transit agency provided 47.5 million rides from January through December, which marked a nearly 6% increase over the previous year.

That was still far below the 85.8 million in 2015, which was the strongest year of ridership in the past few decades.

“We are strengthening our network and providing additional quality transit service across our region,” General Manager Lesley Kandaras said.

Two factors helped fuel Metro Transit’s year-over-year growth. The agency combatted an ongoing operator shortage. With 450 additional bus and train operators compared to last year, Metro Transit increased frequency on light-rail trains and some bus routes while bringing scuttled routes back.

Beefing up an official presence may have also helped, too, Kandaras said in a State-of-The Transit System update. Police, community service officers and Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP) agents conducted nearly 550,000 fare inspections last year, more than double the year before.

Police also aggressively went after smokers and handed out 1,127 citations to violators. That accounted for 15% of crime on Metro Transit vehicles last year. Riders have named smoking as one of their biggest concerns in previous surveys.

“It is a priority of enforcement,” Interim Police Chief Joe Dotseth said.

Trespassing and damage to property were some of the other common offenses among the 7,400 incidents reported last year. In 2023, the transit system had 7,882 crimes reported, Dotseth said.

By deploying more TRIP agents and boosting the number of supplemental security officers on trains, buses and at common crime hot spots, “it is making a difference,” Dotseth said. “We are very proud of our officers on the system being very active.”

Later this month, safety ambassadors from the St. Paul Downtown Improvement District will be present at bus stops and light-rail platforms to address bad behavior, clean up trash and graffiti and help people find their way. Metro Transit also plans to add more TRIP agents to its current roster of 70.

TRIP agents ride rapid bus lines and light-rail trains from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, and more will be needed. Metro Transit will open three more rapid lines this year, with the Gold Line from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury up first on March 22.

The Metro B Line along Lake Street in Minneapolis and Selby Avenue in St. Paul is set to open in June, and the Metro E Line, running from Southdale Center in Edina to the University of Minnesota and the Westgate Station in St. Paul, is set for a December launch.

More than 8.3 million passengers rode the agency’s bus rapid transit lines last year, an increase of 14% over 2023. The lines provide fast, frequent service most hours of the day. In total, Metro Transit provided 31.9 million bus rides and 15.5 million light-rail rides last year.

Metro Transit needs to hire another 200 operators to accommodate its new services rolling out this year.

Mechanics to keep buses and trains running are in short supply.

“That is our primary need,” said Metro Transit Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk. “We have multiple openings to work on vehicles to keep them safe and ready to go.”

Metro Transit in the coming weeks will bring its Network Now proposal to the Met Council for its blessing. The plan outlines future initiatives to build out the system over the next few years as the effort to build back ridership continues.

“People are voting with their feet, and they’re telling us they value the kind of frequent and reliable service we’re providing in our Metro corridors,” Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle said. “The ongoing effort to expand our Metro network promises to build on the successes we’re already seeing.”