Council Member McGraw told the Chaska City Council on Monday that Southwest Transit reported higher than usual ridership during recent events and that the agency is testing automated passenger counters that could eventually feed real-time occupancy information to riders.
“Likely looks like it might be a record for number of transit riders we transported,” McGraw said, giving preliminary figures: “we were at like 63,000 compared to 58,000 for the previous year, like a 7% increase.” He said an AI-based counting system was trialed at the State Fair to report open seats and provide a rider dashboard.
Nut graf: McGraw urged residents to contact officials and register support ahead of regional deliberations over metro sales-tax allocations earmarked for transportation. The allocations will determine how much funding “opt-out” agencies such as Southwest Transit receive; McGraw said Southwest relies on those allocations to maintain services tailored to suburban and regional needs.
McGraw told the council the metropolitan sales tax includes transportation funding that will be distributed regionally and that several agencies and commissions will weigh competing priorities — for example, fixed-route expansion versus microtransit, paratransit and event-focused service. He said Southwest Transit’s “opt-out” status gives the agency flexibility to serve local events and destinations, and that Chaska residents could lose locally tailored service if allocations change.
Discussion versus action: The council did not take formal action but McGraw urged residents who use Southwest Transit, including those who rely on paratransit or microtransit, to contact commissioners and express support for continued funding. He also described technology trials and performance data that he said show demand for the service.
Ending: Council members agreed the service provides local benefits and encouraged residents who depend on Southwest Transit to voice support as regional allocation decisions proceed.