Dedicated Bus Lanes Don’t Make Sense
From 4:30 AM through 1:00 AM, Route 4 serves transit commuters on Lyndale Avenue South. During peak rush hour service, one could catch a bus about every 15 minutes.
After reviewing Metropolitan Council’s data on Route 4’s ridership performance, it becomes crystal clear to a reasonable person that dedicated bus lanes on Lyndale don’t make sense.
See for yourself…
Route 4 Ridership is Down Over 65% Since 2015
The Metropolitan Council publishes a Transit Finance Report every 2 years. Route 4’s total passenger trips for every year from 2015 through 2021 is shown below.
Data for 2022 and 2023 has not been published as of March 2024. We have requested this data from the Metropolitan Council and will update this page upon receipt.
Upon analysis, it is evident that ridership has decreased by 65% when comparing 2021 to 2015.
Route 4 is Not Meeting Met Council Performance Standards
Starting in 2019, Route 4 fell below performance standards set in place by the Met Council’s 2040 Transportation Plan. These standards are enacted to ensure that transit services are being provided to an efficient and cost-effective standard consistent with rest of the region.
According to the plan, routes that do not meet the performance standards should be reviewed for adjustment or possible elimination.
The 5 Year Period Pre-Covid Had Lost 22% in Ridership
Looking closer at the data, we can see that the 5 years before Covid-19, there was a staggering 21.9% reduction in ridership. This represents a significant decline in Route 4 usage unrelated to Covid-19 or remote work arrangements.
One may wonder why ridership dropped during this time. Were there less buses available?
No. From 2015 to 2019, in-service hours were nearly identical year after year.
Did ridership drop due to less population?
No. Census population shows a steady increase in Hennepin county from 2010 to 2020.
The Facts are Clear
In the pre-Covid period of 2015 through 2019 there was…
- 22% Drop in Ridership
- No change in Total Bus Service Hours
- Population Growth
What Happened to Route 4 Ridership?
If transit use remained consistent throughout the entire Metro Transit busing system, then previous Route 4 riders have migrated to other routes off of Lyndale.
If transit use across the entire Metro Transit busing system decreased, than the population is using transit at a lesser rate then before.
Workers From Home Don’t Commute to an Office
Given that work from home in the Twin Cities is likely here to stay according to the latest Census data, we do not see ridership numbers returning to their pre-Covid numbers anytime soon. Especially considering the shrinking populations of both the city and the county.
Route 4 is Handling Transit Commuters Just Fine
With a significant pre-Covid drop in ridership coupled with the paradigm shift in working from home, the following conclusion can be made by any reasonable person.
There is no need for dedicated bus lanes on Lyndale Avenue South.