Full fares have returned to Metro Transit

Metro Transit bus and light-rail riders began paying full fares Monday after paying just $1 per ride for the past two months.

The area's largest transit agency had discounted fares during September and October in an effort to win riders back to public transportation after ridership plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's not immediately clear if the promotion boosted ridership, Metro Transit spokeswoman Laura Baenen said. Ridership has ticked up in recent months as some employees returned to the office and took buses and trains. But numbers during the two-month period also included public school students in Minneapolis and St. Paul and students attending the University of Minnesota who ride for less than full fare.

Ridership is about 45% of what it was before COVID-19, Baenen said. Before the pandemic, the transit agency provided about 260,000 rides daily on weekdays. Recent figures show ridership was 81,000 in June and 97,000 in July.

In 2019, Metro Transit provided about 78 million rides to passengers, a figure that fell to 36 million last year.

With the discount over, trips on Metro Transit will return to $2 for trips outside of rush hour and $2.50 during morning and afternoon rush hours. Trips on express buses are $2.50 for trips off rush-hour and $3.25 for trips during rush hour.

Rides by suburban bus providers, including Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Maple Grove Transit and SouthWest Transit, also returned to full fares Monday.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768