Nadine Babu of St. Louis Park rides Metro Transit for many reasons. Now she is customer number 3 billion and will ride free for a year.

Metro Transit knew it would serve its 3 billionth customer this month. Since it was impossible to pinpoint which rider would be number 3 billion, Metro Transit asked customers to submit an essay on why they ride. Using ridership data, a day was picked to celebrate the milestone as close as possible to when it would occur.

A panel of judges chose Babu’s entry as the winner. For her efforts, Babu received a Go-To Card with a year’s worth of free rides.

“I ride the bus for so many reasons – it’s safe, reliable, inexpensive, convenient, and you can text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and ride without any consequences,” Babu wrote in her entry. “You have a customer for life in me!”

The four runners-up received Go-To Cards with a month’s worth of free rides.

Photo: Nadine Babu of St. Louis Park was all smiles after she was introduced as Metro Transit’s 3 billionth customer on Nov. 29. She won a year’s worth of free rides for winning a contest that celebrated the milestone.

Her essay:

I ride the bus for so many reasons – it’s safe, reliable, inexpensive, convenient, and you can text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and ride without any consequences. I remember two years ago when there was a storm the night that the Vikings were playing the Bears in the first NFL game at TCF Bank. Traffic was at a standstill on most highways, and it took people hours to get home. I decided to go with the tried and true Metro Transit bus system, and was one of the only ones in my group to make it to the game. It was also a fun experience, as a number of other football fans were on the bus, so you could chat, talk a little trash, and just sit and relax rather than worrying if your car was going to get slammed into, or slide off the road. I don’t know why more people don’t utilize Metro Transit. You have a customer for life in me!