Agency Overview

Metro's mission: "Regional economic development through excellence in transportation."

The Agency was created in 1949 through a compact between Missouri and Illinois and ratified by the United States Congress. Metro's broad powers enable it to cross local, county, and state boundaries to plan, construct, maintain, own, and operate specific facilities in its efforts to enhance the quality of life in the region. Its service area encompasses 200 municipalities.

Metro owns and operates the St. Louis Metropolitan region's public transportation system. The Metro System includes MetroLink, the region's light rail system; MetroBus, the region's bus system; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit van system. Metro also oversees the operations of the St. Louis Downtown Airport and surrounding industrial business park, the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center, the Gateway Arch Transportation System, the Gateway Arch Riverboats, and the Gateway Arch Parking Facility.

Metro's 10-member Board provides overall leadership and policy direction for the Agency, and is comprised of five members from Illinois and five from Missouri. In Missouri, members are selected by the governor. In Illinois, the Chairman of the Board for both St. Clair and Madison counties appoint their representatives. Members of the Board serve their 5-year terms without compensation and must be a resident voter of their state, as well as reside within the bi-state metropolitan region.

Metro carried over 54 million passengers on MetroLink, MetroBus, and Metro Call-A-Ride vans in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007.

Metro has a fleet of 409 MetroBus vehicles, 87 light rail vehicles and 123 Metro Call-A-Ride paratransit vans.

The FY 2007 operating budget for Metro's Transit System was $197.8 million. For FY 2008, the Transit operating budget is 214.8 million.

The FY 2007 operating expense budget for Metro's non-transit entities (Gateway Arch Tram, Gateway Arch Parking Facility, Gateway Arch Riverboats, St. Louis Downtown Airport and Executive Services) is $11.4 million. The capital budget totals $8.6 million.

Metro System operations are subsidized by sales taxes from St. Louis City and County, the St. Clair County Illinois Transit District, federal and state grants and subsidies, and from fares paid by customers.

Security for the Metro System is provided by uniformed police officers along with uniformed and undercover security officers. A comprehensive security system is in place that includes well-lit stations and cars, closed-circuit television monitoring, emergency telephones, continuous police patrol of rail cars and stations, security personnel at park-ride lots, and constant radio communication between vehicle operators and MetroLink and MetroBus Central Control.

Metro has more than 2,300 employees.

Metro's Transit Information Call Center Representatives and Customer Service Department answered 583,538 calls during FY 2007.