UPDATED: Metro Transit Bus Routes Into Oakdale Could Be Cut

Oakdale residents waiting for the bus Friday morning at the Park and Ride lot at said their commute could take longer, or their costs could increase, if Metro Transit no longer services the bus stop, as is proposed.  

“I much prefer riding to driving to downtown,” Sue Kuta said. Her employer subsidizes both bus passes and parking in downtown St. Paul, she said, however the parking would cost her $100 per paycheck compared with $45 a month for a bus pass.

“That’s a whole lot cheaper and easier,” she said.

Oakdale resident Jim Krohn said he likes the convenience of riding the bus, and said if the Walton Park stop wasn’t serviced, he’d likely have to drive farther to the Maplewood Mall to catch a bus downtown.

Based on the preliminary map of proposed cuts, it appears that service to the Guardian Angels Catholic Church Park and Ride lot would continue.

Metro Transit has proposed cutting bus routes throughout the Twin Cities within the next year because of anticipated funding cuts from the Minnesota Legislature.

The Metropolitan Council is bracing to lose 85 percent of the state's general contribution to transit for 2012-2013 when the Legislature passes its budget at the end of the state government shutdown.

With the shutdown showing no signs of ending soon, the Met Council is planning its future services based on the most recent proposal it received from the legislature—a worst-case scenario reduction of $109 million for 2012-13 transit operations.

If the actual budget echoes these projections, the Met Council says it will be forced to slash or limit 130 of 146 bus routes across the Twin Cities. It also faces elimination of most suburban local and crosstown bus routes and fare increases of 25-50 cents per ride. Met Council officials haven’t named specific routes for proposed cutting or reduced scheduling.

The regional transportation network, including Metro Transit, has an annual budget of $375 million. But the challenge, according to John Levin, director of service development for Metro Transit, is responding to a proposed $109 million reduction in state funding for metro area transit.

Of course, with reduced operations comes reduced revenue from ridership. The Met Council anticipates losing as many as 17 million annual bus rides because of the reduced routes and increased fares.

“The only way to address this shortfall is to cut deeply into the services we provide,” Levin said.

In addition to a 25 percent reduction in service hours, the Met Council expects more than 500 regular route transit operators and associated staff to lose their jobs and more than 200 buses to go unused.

“This is the beginning of a process where we’re looking to prepare for the worst, but truly hope for the best for the system and its future,” said Jon Commers, Vice Chair of the Council’s Community Development Committee and member of the Transportation Committee.

The Met Council is planning seven public hearings to consider testimony from community members.

Oakdale Community Development Director Bob Streetar said city officials will likely appear at the Aug. 11 hearing in Maplewood to speak about the impact of the proposed cuts.

Streetar said the proposed cuts to Metro Transit would counteract the efforts of the east metro cities that are working together through the Gateway Corridor Commission to bring more transit to the area by 2030.

"You’ve got elected officials out here working on good, sound, long-term public policy on the I-94 corridor commission, taking a long-term view, thinking about what's the best way to move people with the least amount of money," he said. "Then you have the Legislature thinking very short term."

Here are the dates, times and locations of these hearings:

• Aug. 8 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Bloomington Civic Plaza)
• Aug. 9 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Hopkins Center for the Arts)
• Aug. 10 – Noon to 1 p.m. (Minneapolis Central Library)
• Aug. 11 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Maplewood Library)
• Aug. 15 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Brookdale Library, Brooklyn Center)
• Aug. 16 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Metro Transit Offices , Minneapolis)
• Aug. 18 – Noon to 1 p.m. (Metropolitan Council Offices , Saint Paul)

Met Council aims to finalize plans for fares and service routes by September and implement changes by early 2012.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly understated the number bus rides Metro Transit expects to lose annually due to cutting its services.