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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 21, 2007

RIDING METRO TRANSIT IS PART OF STATE FAIR FUN
Special $2 bus-rider discount on Aug. 29 - 'Hop on Transit Day' at Fair

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MINNEAPOLIS -- (Aug. 20) - The State Fair is here and getting there is part of the fun! Metro Transit will operate express service, regular-route buses and free shuttles to the Minnesota State Fair, which opens Thursday, Aug. 23, and runs through Labor Day (Sept. 3).

One in every four people who attend the Great Minnesota Get-together each year get there on a Metro Transit bus. Not only is it convenient, Metro Transit uses special bus-only roads to take customers right past traffic congestion and straight to the gate.

Non-stop express service
State Fair Express service operates continuously throughout the day from 11 suburban parking lots. Buses leave suburban sites from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Return buses will leave the fairgrounds from noon to midnight.

Service from six suburban locations operates every 15 minutes each day of the fair:

  • Brookdale Shopping Center - Brooklyn Center
  • Bloomington (across 24th Avenue from Mall of America's East parking ramp)
  • Dunwoody College of Technology - downtown Minneapolis
  • Northtown Mall - Blaine
  • Southdale Shopping Center - Edina
  • I-394 & County Road 73 Park & Ride - Minnetonka

Three parking areas will have departures every 30 minutes daily:

  • Oakdale Center - west of I-694 on 10th Street
  • Signal Hills Shopping Center - West St. Paul
  • Cottage Grove Park & Ride lot at Highway 61 and West Point Douglas Road
On weekends and Labor Day only, service is available every half hour from Maplewood Mall and from the Maple Grove Transit Station on I-94 and Hemlock Lane. Minnesota Valley Transit Authority and SouthWest Transit also will operate express service to the State Fair.

The round-trip fare for express buses, which is payable in bills or coins when boarding at express sites, is $5 per person. Children age four and under ride free. Fareboxes accept bills of any denomination amounting to the correct fare; fareboxes and drivers do not make change. Go-To Cards, Metropasses, SuperSavers, U-Passes, coupons and transfers are not valid on express service.

Wednesday, Aug. 29 is "Hop on Transit Day" at the State Fair
 Everyone who rides a State Fair Express bus on Aug. 29 (Hop on Transit Day) pays just $3 for a round-trip. PLUS everyone who pays bus fare that day (State Fair Express or regular route) gets a coupon for a $2 discount on admission to the fair. The admission discount applies for all ages and is valid only on regular State Fair admission tickets purchased at the gate. The offer does not apply to free Park & Ride buses.

Transit and its positive impact on the environment will be featured at Carousel Park (near the Grandstand) on Wednesday, Aug. 29. Fairgoers can stop by to see one of Metro Transit's hybrid buses, learn about the agency's environmental initiatives and take the Go Greener Challenge, where prizes will be awarded to those who pledge to not drive one day in the coming month.

Regular-route service
Three regular-service routes serve the State Fairgrounds. Route 960 travels between downtown Minneapolis and the fairgrounds in about 15 minutes. Fair-goers can hop on Route 960 anywhere along Nicollet Mall. Buses operate to and from the fairgrounds roughly every 15 minutes daily.

Routes 3 and 84 also serve the State Fair. Route 3 travels from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul via Como Avenue; Route 84 travels on Snelling Avenue between the Hiawatha Line's 46th Street Station and Rosedale.

The one-way fare for regular-route buses during non-rush hours is $1.50 for adults and 50 cents for children, seniors and Medicare card holders with proper identification. During rush hours, all customers pay $2, except certified Mobility customers who ride for 50 cents at any time when they present required ID. Go-To Cards, Metropasses, SuperSavers, U-Passes, coupons and transfers are valid for regular-route buses.

Free shuttle buses
Free parking and free shuttle bus service are available from many parking lots near the Fairgrounds. Free shuttles operate daily from:
  • northeast corner of I-94 & Snelling Avenue
  • Roseville High School (County Road B2 east of Hamline Avenue)
  • Minnesota Dept. of Education (east of Target on Snelling, north of County Road B)
  • Country Insurance (one block south of County Road E on Pine Tree Drive)
  • Catholic Aid Association (on Lexington Avenue, two blocks south of County Road E).
NOTE: Due to stadium construction, parking at the University of Minnesota is limited. Please look for signs directing traffic to available parking areas.

Buses operate daily from 8 a.m. to midnight. Other lots are available on weekdays only or on weekends only. For other free shuttle locations, call the State Fair at 651-603-6808 or visit mnstatefair.org. Detailed State Fair bus service information is available by touch-tone phone on TransitLine, a 24-hour automated information system, at 612-341-4287, and at metrotransit.org.

Metro Transit, a service of the Metropolitan Council, provided customers more than 73 million rides in 2006. Ridership through July is up 5 percent above the same period last year.

 

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(Editors: For information call Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, 612-349-7509 or via e-mail at robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)