Lake Minnetonka Could Lose Public Transit Routes

Metro Transit has proposed cutting bus routes throughout the metro within the next year because of potential funding cuts from the Minnesota state legislature.

While cuts have not yet been finalized, routes serving the communities around Lake Minnetonka are among those that could be eliminated.

The Metropolitan Council is bracing to lose 85 percent of its 2012-2013 Metro Transit funding if the Minnesota state legislature passes the latest budget plan at the end of the state government shutdown—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 to 50 cents per ride. Met Council officials haven’t named specific routes for proposed cutting or reduced scheduling. Overall, a 25 percent reduction to service hours could be seen across the transit system.

“The challenge we have is reducing our $129 million budget to $20 million,” John Levin, director of service development for Metro Transit, told reporters and residents at a Met Council public meeting Wednesday.

Of course, with reduced operations comes reduced revenue from ridership. The Met Council anticipates losing as many as 10 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 the service cuts, the Met Council expects more than 500 Metro Transit and Metro Mobility workers to lose their jobs, and more than 200 buses to go unused.

“This is the beginning of a process where we’re truly expecting the worst but hoping for the best,” said Jon Commers, vice chair of the council’s Community Development Committee and member of the Transportation Committee.

The Met Council is holding a second public meeting at the Minneapolis Central Library at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. It is also planning seven public hearings to consider testimony from community members.

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.