Metro officials defend $60 million secure-platform project as aldermen raise accessibility and cost concerns

Metro Transit officials defended a phased rollout of a Secure Platform Program (SPP) and a new fare system during questioning from St. Louis City aldermen, who raised concerns about accessibility, the project's cost and the short-term customer experience at some stations.

Talby Roach, Metro's chief executive, said perception of safety is a key goal of the program and that the agency had already observed local results from pilots. "Perception of safety within the system is an absolute tenet," Roach told the committee as he described pilot gates at several stations and a parallel, $25 million fare-media project to modernize fare collection and enable phone tap payments.

A consultant's report and disagreement: Committee members cited a 2023 consulting study by WSP USA Inc. that the Post-Dispatch had summarized as finding "there wasn't much correlation between serious crime and fare evasion." Alderman Browning asked why Metro installed gates despite that finding. Roach replied that while the consultant's analysis is valuable, Metro is also responding to public perception and to requests from taxpayers and business leaders to increase safety and to stabilize fare collection. He said private-sector contributions and other funding produced a large program and that the camera network and partnerships with law enforcement are complementary elements.

Costs, timing and customer experience: Committee members pressed Metro on cost and rollout timing. Roach said the original construction estimate for gates was about $52 million and that current estimates were near $61 million, citing market conditions. He said the full system is slated to be operational in January 2026 and acknowledged a phased rollout has required attendants at some gates during the transition.

Accessibility and disabled-rider concerns: Chuck Stewart, Metro's chief operating officer (retiring), described efforts to improve service for riders with disabilities, noting paratransit denial rates have fallen to zero in recent months after operational changes. Committee members and disability advocates sought assurances that SPP will be ADA compliant and that Metro will continue to consult Paraquad and other groups; Metro said it is working with an accessibility subcommittee and conducting outreach and tests with advocacy partners.

Public debate: Several aldermen said they supported cameras and other measures but worried that nonfunctioning or manned gates could harm customer experience. Alderman Browning said the project risked being viewed as a "boondoggle" if gates remained nonoperational at finished stations; Roach and Metro staff asked for patience during system integration and highlighted anecdotal pilot results that Metro said showed ridership increases at some pilot stations.

Ending: Metro officials invited further oversight and suggested the committee schedule follow-up briefings on SPP and the fare project as the agency completes the phased implementation.