MetroBus Service Changes

Effective August 30, 2010

Restoration of MetroBus Service in the Missouri Service Area or ‘Restoration 2010’ has been implemented effective August 30, 2010.

On April 6, 2010, the passage of Proposition A, a ½-cent transit sales tax in St. Louis County, and a corresponding ¼-cent transit sales tax in the City of St. Louis, made Restoration 2010 possible.

Restoration 2010 does not replicate the Metro System exactly as it existed prior to service reductions in 2009. Instead, it seeks to restore the Metro System’s access to communities, attract new customers, and establish opportunities for future growth in the most efficient, cost-effective manner possible. Metro’s approach to service restoration has been to work closely with the community in crafting a new plan to better serve the St. Louis region’s diverse needs.

Restoration 2010 implements several innovative strategies to enhance service using available financial resources. These service strategies are not stand-alone improvements; they work together, often on the same bus route, to maximize productivity and cost effectiveness throughout the System:

Route splitting: Many MetroBus routes cover a large service area, especially on major corridors. However, ridership demand often varies greatly within any particular service area. In an attempt to better match frequencies, and ultimately vehicle sizes to levels of ridership demand, and to maintain on-time performance on what are very long routes today, Metro will split several routes where there is a clear difference in travel needs and ridership levels. These splits will happen at MetroLink Stations and Transit Centers in order to ensure quick transfers and enhance the overall connectivity of the System.

Connectivity: Connectivity is fundamental for the MetroBus customer experience. Ideally, the necessity for transfers should be limited. However, our customers should also be able to access any part of the service area from any other. Many of the route changes that will be implemented on August 30th will further integrate the Metro System by adding geographic connections and improving time connections between bus routes and at Transit Centers. Maintaining on-time performance and enforcing connectivity at transit centers is critical for ensuring the success of this strategy.

Right-sizing: The MetroBus fleet currently consists of 30’, 35’ and 40’ buses. However, at certain times of day and in areas with lower transit ridership, larger buses often have excess capacity. As Metro moves forward with regularly-scheduled fleet replacement Metro staff is exploring options to begin purchasing smaller buses and vans for use on lower-demand routes, and larger, articulated buses for the busiest routes. Smaller vehicles with lower fuel costs making shorter trips will generate significant cost savings. Larger buses will allow the Agency to respond to growing passenger volumes without adding as much service as would be required using 40’ buses.

Rationalization: Metro also intends to make the MetroBus network more comprehensible and easier to navigate. Service restoration seeks to minimize long or confusing, special detours, and duplication of service. Many routes have been streamlined, and more trips later in the day have been added throughout the System for 2nd- and 3rd-shift workers.

Restoration 2010 is not the final step in restoring the Metro System, it’s the beginning. It implements the improvements we can make with the time and resources we have available today.