Minnesota Valley Transit Authority sets State Fair ridership record

More people than ever rode Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) buses from the southern suburbs to the State Fair this year, and the agency set six daily ridership records.

MVTA provided 127,220 rides to and from the Great Minnesota Get-Together during its 12-day run, which beat the previous record of 110,718 set last year, according to figures the agency released this week.

Meanwhile, Metro Transit saw State Fair ridership of nearly 331,000, which marked a 14% increase over last year, the agency said Wednesday.

The MVTA started out by providing a record 8,526 rides on the fair’s opening day on Aug. 22. That was followed the next day when more than 11,200 people rode MVTA buses to the fair. But by the midpoint of the fair, overall ridership was lagging behind last year’s numbers, said spokesman Richard Crawford.

A strong Labor Day weekend rewrote the history books. On Friday, MVTA provided 16,752 rides, which was a record. But that mark fell two days later on Sunday when ridership hit 18,528 .

“It was a very interesting year with ebbs and flows based on the weather,” said MVTA Chief Executive Officer Luther Wynder. “The extreme heat on the first Monday and threats of storms during the week kept attendance down. People were ready to go on the days with pleasant forecasts.”

Metro Transit expanded its park and ride offerings by adding lots in Maplewood and Maple Grove, and that helped push overall ridership on express and regular-route buses to nearly 331,000, said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras.

Metro Transit had about 100 extra buses in service each day during the fair to meet demand, Kandaras said.

“Thank you to everyone who rode with us, and to all the staff who came together to provide convenient, reliable and environmentally sustainable transportation during one of the busiest times of year,” she said.

For the year, Metro Transit ridership is up about 9% compared to last year, with the agency providing 27.3 million rides as of the end of July, Kandaras said.

SouthWest Transit took 100,362 riders to and from the fair, the third most in its history. The agency also set one daily record on Aug. 30 when it provided 15,712 rides, said spokeswoman Erica Schulte King.

The rise in bus ridership came as the State Fair set five daily attendance records and saw 1,925,904 people pass through the gates.