Minnesota Valley Transit Authority officials gave Shakopee City Council an update on April 15, outlining expansion plans for on‑demand “Connect” microtransit, seasonal and event routes, vehicle and garage projects, and a legislative request for more dedicated sales-tax funding.

The presentation, delivered by MVTA staff, said the agency now operates roughly 24–26 routes, two garages and 14 park‑and‑ride locations and has added microtransit zones that cover portions of Shakopee and Prior Lake. Joya Stetson, identified in the presentation as MVTA’s community and economic director, said Connect is an app‑based curb‑to‑curb service that can be booked up to three hours in advance for $3 a ride and has seen rapid growth since its Shakopee launch.

The agency reported systemwide ridership up about 10.5% year‑over‑year from 2023 to 2024, with express service up nearly 10% and local service down about 2% (the presentation attributed the local decline to an earlier reallocation of service to Connect). MVTA said overall ridership is about 50% of pre‑pandemic levels in most places and that Connect ridership is growing quickly: the presenters said March daily average rides were in the 400s and had peaked above 500 after bringing Shakopee and Prior Lake into the zone.

MVTA officials discussed demographic results from a recent rider survey and said roughly 68% of Connect trips are for work, 47% of riders would otherwise use Uber or Lyft, and about 20% of Connect riders report annual household income under $15,000. Officials also said about 10% of Connect users report a disability or long‑term health condition.

The presentation covered several operational items: planned tweaks to Route 490 service, a new seasonal route (the “4 fun” destination route) that serves Marshall Road Transit Station and leisure destinations, a spike in special‑event service driven in part by major concerts, and outreach to local schools to improve student internship access to transit. MVTA said it is retrofitting 40‑foot buses to look like trolleys for local circulator service and is exploring a circulator for Canterbury Park and extra service for Valleyfair.

On technology and capital, MVTA described a fleet demo of purpose‑built electric buses and said the vehicles performed well in winter weather. The agency said a federal waiver and new U.S. production by the manufacturer could affect future procurement.

Officials told the council that MVTA sought a federal BUILD grant for a Scott County mobility station and garage but did not receive the award; MVTA said it is pursuing land (about 10–15 acres) for a future garage and mobility hub and continues to pursue grants and partnerships.

Legislatively, MVTA staff described a bill carried by Representative Hewitt that would add a share of a regional sales‑tax allocation for MVTA and the University of Minnesota. Officials said the change would raise MVTA’s share from roughly 10% of interim regional sales‑tax distributions toward a higher baseline and that the agency expects advocacy and education work to continue through 2026.

Council members thanked MVTA for outreach, school partnerships and event service. Several council members asked about Connect booking and payment options; MVTA said riders can pay cash on vehicles, use a Go‑To card, or pay by credit card in the app; drivers can also book trips for walk‑up customers and accept cash. No formal council action was taken on the presentation.