St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission

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St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission
Saint Cloud Metrobus logo.svg
St. Cloud Metro Bus Transit Center.jpg
Founded1969 (1969)
Headquarters665 Franklin Avenue NE
Locale St. Cloud, Minnesota
Service areaSt. Cloud, Minnesota, Sartell, Minnesota, Sauk Rapids, Minnesota and Waite Park, Minnesota
Service typeFixed Route, Paratransit and Commuter
Routes16
Fleet79
Daily ridership2,600 (weekdays, Q2 2025) [1]
Annual ridership811,800 (2024) [2]
Fuel typeDiesel and CNG
Website ridemetrobus.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, branded as Metro Bus, is the primary provider of mass transportation in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Metro Bus service is provided daily using a fleet of 38 full-sized buses and 36 minibuses. Metro Bus also provides service from St. Cloud to the Metro Transit Northstar Commuter Rail station in Big Lake, MN through the Northstar Link Commuter Bus. The agency was formed in 1969 after the private St. Cloud Bus Lines began to cut routes and increase fares, leading the Minnesota State Legislature to establish a Transit Authority to make up for perceived inadequate service.

Contents

Sixteen total fixed routes are available in the Metro Bus service area, providing access to the community via approximately 700 bus stops with paratransit service available within a 3/4 mile of all Fixed Routes. The Metro Bus service area includes the cities of St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park, MN. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 811,800, or about 2,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.

Regular routes

Most of these routes operate in loops originating at the downtown transit center at the corner of 1st Street South and 5th Avenue South. On weekdays, most routes run every hour. On weekends, some routes run every half hour during peak times.

Northstar Link bus at Big Lake station Northstar Link bus at Big Lake Northstar Commuter Rail station, 2010.jpg
Northstar Link bus at Big Lake station

The Northstar Link (route 887) is a weekday commuter bus route connecting St. Cloud to Metro Transit's Big Lake station which is currently the northernmost stop on the Northstar Line commuter rail service which opened in 2009. There are 5 full-size buses in the Northstar Link fleet. The Northstar Link travels from the downtown St. Cloud Metro Bus Transit Center to the Big Lake, MN Northstar Rail Station with three stops at the St. Cloud State Miller Center, the East St. Cloud Park & Ride and the Park & Ride in Becker, MN.

Fixed route ridership

The ridership statistics shown here are of fixed route services only and do not include demand response services. [3]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
2004
'06
'08
'10
'12
'14
'16
'18
'20
2022

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. August 27, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  3. ↑ "The National Transit Database (NTD)" . Retrieved July 6, 2023.
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