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Metro Offers Special Mardi Gras Shuttle Service March 1

Editor’s Note: A Metro spokesperson will be available for media interviews this week. To schedule an interview, please contact Kara Price Shannon, External Communications Manager, at 314-982-1458

ST. LOUIS – Metro transit is offering special MetroBus shuttle service for Mardi Gras revelers to safely and conveniently get in and out of Soulard in St. Louis for the 2014 Grand Parade and celebration on Saturday, March 1. The special Mardi Gras shuttle buses will operate from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. between Soulard and the Civic Center MetroLink Station, located at the corner of 14th Street and Spruce Street in Downtown St. Louis. The shuttles will run every 15 minutes, and will drop off and pick up in Soulard on Carroll Street between Menard and 10th Streets.

The roundtrip passes are $5 and can only be purchased on March 1 starting at 9 a.m., at the Civic Center MetroLink Station. The passes feature commemorative Mardi Gras artwork suspended from a festive lanyard, making it easy for riders to wear while they enjoy the festivities. A special offer from McDonald’s is printed on the back of the 2014 Mardi Gras Shuttle Pass.

“If you are going to Soulard Mardi Gras on Saturday, we encourage you to park your car at one of our free Metro Park-Ride lots, take MetroLink to the Civic Center Station, buy your Mardi Gras shuttle pass, and then catch the shuttle to Soulard from there,” said John Nations, Bi-State Development Agency President & CEO. “Parade-goers will appreciate not having to worry about navigating around closed streets, traffic jams and trying to find that elusive parking space.”

Regular Metro tickets and passes are not valid on the Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle. The Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle Pass is not valid for regular MetroBus or MetroLink service. Mardi Gras shuttles will run every 15 minutes through 11 p.m.

No food, drink or alcohol is permitted on the special shuttles, MetroLink trains, Metro vehicles, or on Metro property. Customers are asked to leave their backpacks and coolers at home since they are not allowed at Soulard Mardi Gras.

In addition to the special Mardi Gras MetroBus shuttles, extra MetroLink service will be provided that day. MetroLink will operate on a modified schedule, which means trains will not be running on the normal Saturday schedule. Trains will be arriving approximately every seven to eight minutes for passengers getting on at one of the stations from Forest Park-DeBaliviere to Fairview Heights. Trains will arrive approximately every 15 minutes for those customers boarding at any of the stations between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Lambert Airport Terminal 1, between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Shrewsbury–Lansdowne I-44, and between Fairview Heights and Shiloh-Scott. The last train will depart from Downtown St. Louis at 12:30 a.m.

For more information on the MetroBus Shuttle Pass or the Mardi Gras shuttle schedule, you can call 314-231-2345 in Missouri and 618-271-2345 in Illinois. For Mardi Gras parade information and other event times, visit www.mardigrasinc.com.

The Bi-State Development Agency/Metro (BSDA/Metro) is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 372 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 75 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans.

BSDA/Metro also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park, and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center, the Gateway Arch Transportation System, and the Gateway Arch Parking Facility.