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MVTA tells Rosemount council ridership is rebounding, warns of failed bill’s risks to suburban service
Summary
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority told Rosemount council members that local ridership climbed about 32% year‑over‑year and described planned route adjustments for 2026; MVTA officials said a proposed House bill that did not pass this session would have risked service cuts and higher fares if enacted.
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority CEO Luther Winder updated the Rosemount City Council on May 19, saying the agency’s ridership was up 7.8% systemwide and that Rosemount itself saw about a 32% year‑over‑year increase.
Winder, introduced to the council by city staff, described MVTA’s mix of services — fixed‑route buses, the app‑based MVTA Connect on‑demand service and event‑based service for concerts and state‑level events — and said Connect now serves all seven cities in the agency’s service area. “You guys are up 32% year over year, so thank you,” Winder said of Rosemount riders.
The presentation described several service changes coming for 2026: a new Route 480 pattern replacing part of the existing 484 service for Monday–Thursday demand; replacement of Route 472 with a revised Route 470 to increase trips; and other schedule adjustments intended to maintain average wait targets of roughly 20–25 minutes for Connect riders. Winder said MVTA is monitoring wait times and shifting vehicles between zones to keep average wait times below 25 minutes.
Winder also outlined the ridership and demographic profile of Connect users, saying about 65% use the service to commute to work and nearly half of riders would otherwise use ride‑hail services. He noted that nearly half of riders are people of color, about 60% are women and roughly 25% report a disability or long‑term health condition, framing Connect as an equity‑focused service. “Think about that two times a day going to work on income less than $25,000 — it’s not financially possible” without lower‑cost transit, he said.
He warned the council about a legislative proposal, House File 4111, that would have folded suburban transit providers under the Metropolitan Council. Winder said supporters of that measure projected large savings, but MVTA’s analysis concluded the bill’s assumptions were overstated and the change would likely have led to service reductions, higher fares and loss of local advocacy. The bill passed some committee consideration but was not enacted this session, Winder said.
Council members praised MVTA’s outreach and marketing and noted ridership recovery since the COVID‑19 downturn. Councilor Esler, who serves as the council liaison to MVTA, and other members emphasized the value of local advocacy in keeping tailored suburban services in place. City staff and MVTA representatives said they will continue to monitor Connect performance and may add vehicles as demand grows.
