Committee approves three Metro appropriations after budget presentation, members press on security gates and service

The Transportation and Commerce Committee on Oct. 11 advanced three board bills appropriating local sales-tax revenue to Metro Transit after hearing a budget presentation from Bi-State Development officials.

Bi-State Development President and CEO Talby Roach told the committee Metro’s 2026 revenue is projected at about $344.2 million, with passenger revenue budgeted at $19.5 million and an appropriation request to St. Louis City and St. Louis County of roughly $47.6 million. Roach said Metro is projecting a modest operating deficit in 2026 of about $4.8 million that the agency plans to manage internally and that larger deficits tied to depreciation are funded largely through Federal Transit Administration capital grants.

The presentation and follow-up questioning focused on three funding items and several ongoing projects: the new fare and secure platform program (SPP) that will add station turnstiles and upgraded fare media, expansion of the electric bus fleet and charging infrastructure, replacement of the light-rail vehicle (LRV) fleet, and passenger amenities such as bus shelters.

“This will give us great opportunities to move some of our fundamental revenue up,” Roach said of the fare modernization…