We hear and learn from real customers as they answer our "10 Questions with Metro Transit." Today we meet Austin!
How long have you been riding the bus or train?
For as long as I’ve been in cities – but vis-à-vis Metro Transit, since first residing here in 2022. I think my first memory riding transit was on the Toronto Subway while visiting my grandparents who lived there, maybe when I was ~8 years old? Back then the fare was still paid with tokens!
Favorite route(s)?
METRO B Line, 74, 63, 87.
How often do you ride transit?
I ride transit almost every day — to commute to work, meet up with friends, visit the farmer's market, attend baseball games.
Why do you ride transit?
For a variety of reasons, both personal and societal. I try to reduce my greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. It's also quite affordable for me to move around via transit rather than by driving — no worrying about gas prices, and I am fortunate enough to receive a Metropass from my workplace, which makes transit even more affordable. It's also just convenient to ride the bus or train a lot of the time — in the winter, there's no need to warm up, defrost, scrape ice, or shovel out a bus — it's already heated when you board! Same goes for air conditioning on board in the summer. I also feel more connected to life in the cities when riding transit — compared to driving a car, where one can feel ensconced in a vehicle and separated from everyone else, I feel part of the street and my fellow passengers on the bus.
What do you wish “first-timers” knew?
That transit is an option! I feel that Metro Transit is an underutilized option here for moving around – not just for commuting to work, but also for visiting friends, weekend museum trips, avoiding parking hassles, etc.
Favorite destination?
Minnehaha Park – a confluence of waters and transit lines.
What do we (Metro Transit) get right?
I really appreciate the design of the bus rapid transit stops, such as the shelters and live arrival information. It makes waiting for the bus more comfortable and easy on the mind, seeing when the next bus will come without needing to check one's cell phone.
What can we do to improve?
It would always be nice to have more frequent service -- more buses and trains, even only for existing routes, would make it easier to incorporate transit into daily life, make transfers, etc.
I've also thought it would be nice for Metro Transit to have a merch store. In other cities I've lived in, like Vancouver or Chicago (not to mention the Twin City Lines' streetcars of yore), I saw that transit memorabilia from their agencies (TransLink and CTA, respectively) — like maps, shirts, plushie trains, or a necktie — helped cement the city's transit system as part of its civic identity. I think a "Skip Traffic" sticker for laptops and water bottles, or a red "T" lapel pin, could be popular here.
Favorite onboard memory?
Recently on the morning commute, I thanked the bus driver on my way out and a few fellow passengers also did so as they alighted. It was a good feeling to start something nice in the morning.
Favorite movie about transit?
Your Name (2016). It's fun to see the characters take transit everywhere in the film – not just within Tokyo, but also between the cities and countryside too. Many of the scenes on trains are also quite picturesque and sentimental. While it's not really the main point of the film, I think Your Name also conveys the power of transit to connect people, across both time and space.