Twin Cities transit agencies boost service to special events, and ridership is growing

From hockey games to festivals to concerts and even to the airport, express bus service is no longer reserved for the 9-to-5 commuter crowd working in downtown offices.

Twin Cities transit agencies have turned to special event and shuttle services to grow ridership by taking passengers where they want to go.

And it appears to be working.

"We are trying things," said SouthWest Transit CEO Erik Hansen. "We can't keep doing the same things we did during the COVID-19 world and expect different results. Not as many people work downtown."

Starting March 31, SouthWest Transit will offer express bus service from Eden Prairie to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and launch a companion route to serve popular destinations along the Interstate 494 corridor.

This season, SouthWest started taking fans to Timberwolves and Wild games. Come summer, the agency will run buses to Art-A-Whirl, the Minnesota Yacht Club music festival and the Dragon Boat Festival.

Billing itself as "Your Go-To Ride to MN Events," shuttle service has become big business for SouthWest. Last year, ridership on trips to events such as the State Fair and football games rose 55%. More than 32,000 people took the bus to the Renaissance Fair last fall, the first time SouthWest provided service.

Overall, SouthWest provided more than 165,200 rides to sporting events, festivals and concerts, accounting for about a third of its overall systemwide ridership.

"It's about meeting customers' needs," Hansen said. "Connectivity is what we should be about."

The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA), serving eight suburbs south of the Minnesota River in Scott and Dakota counties, is seeing demand for special event service, too.

More than 3,400 riders took the "Swiftie Bus" to Taylor Swift's 2023 concerts at U.S. Bank Stadium. In the past, the agency has taken riders to Twins playoff and Gopher football games, and to the State Fair and Renaissance Festival.

For the second straight year, MVTA took riders to the Ice Maze in Eagan. This year, the agency added service to Buck Hill and has plans to serve all 17 Minnesota United home soccer games. The agency also is offering rides to upcoming concerts at the area's biggest arenas, and plans to serve Canterbury Park, the Shakopee horse track.

"It's really about adapting," said CEO Luther Wynder, who added that special event service was the highest ranked service offered by MVTA according to its 2024 customer survey. "There is definitely a need. People are using the service."

Last year MVTA provided more than 217,000 rides to special events, an increase of 28% over the year before. Overall, the agency had 1.4 million riders for all of 2024, the agency said.

Other suburban transit agencies have not yet jumped into special event service, citing cost and low demand.

"It might be something we look at in the future," said Maple Grove transit administrator Mike Opatz.

Metro Transit has long provided service to Twins and Vikings games and other popular events such as Holidazzle and the Uptown Art Fair. A recent regional survey found 80% of respondents would consider taking transit to events like Twins games, Vikings games, and concerts, said Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr.

In 2024, Metro Transit provided about 148,000 rides to 250 different events where organizers partnered with the agency to offer free or discounted passes. Nearly 7,400 of those who used a pass last year indicated they had never taken transit in the past.

"Major events are opportunities to introduce or reintroduce transit to people who've never ridden with us or do so seldomly," said Kerr.

Metro Transit ridership last year ticked up to 47.5 million, but was still down from the high water mark of 85.8 million in 2015.

Back at SouthWest, Route 686X, the new airport express service costing $3.25 each way, will run from SouthWest Station to Mall of America MSP Airport daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Travelers can park at SouthWest Station in Eden Prairie for $5 per night.

"That is a lot less expensive than parking at the airport," Hansen said. "We might get people from other cities."

Route 686L will feature 16 stops, including the Mall of America, Best Buy headquarters, Southtown Center and the Normandale Lake Office Park.

The airport service, and other shuttle services, including Monday's Justin Timberlake concert at Xcel Energy Center, arose from a survey that identified a demand for the route.

"Customers said, 'We like going to these special events,'" Hansen said. "We have a lot of irons in the fire. Sometimes things work, some things don't. We are offering unique and innovative service to grow usage on the system."