Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2008
SOUTH METRO SERVICE EXPANDS ON ROUTE 540
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – (March 3) – Metro Transit bus Route 540 will be extended to Normandale Lake Office Park in Bloomington on weekdays beginning March 10, providing more access to jobs in the south metro. Route 540 travels on I-494 frontage roads between Mall of America and Highway 100.
Funding for the service enhancement comes from a federal Job Access and Reverse Commute grant, which supports transportation services that improve access to employment opportunities for lower-income individuals. The extended service is part of a demonstration project, lasting at least through September 2009.
When preparing for the Route 540 change, Metro Transit planners identified nearly 6,400 entry-level jobs in the route’s service area. Route 540 serves several major employment centers in Edina, Richfield and Bloomington, including Mall of America, Best Buy Headquarters and, starting March 10, Normandale Lake Office Park.
Route 540 operates seven days a week. The cash fare for Route 540 is $2 during weekday rush hours and $1.50 at all other times.
For trip planning services, customers can speak with a transit expert at 612-373-3333 or use the online trip planner.
Metro Transit, a service of the Metropolitan Council, finished 2007 with 77 million rides, the highest annual ridership since 1982.
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(Editors: For information call Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, 612-349-7509 or via e-mail at robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)
