From General Manager Wes Kooistra
Since the start of the pandemic, many of our commuter-oriented routes have been suspended or offered fewer trips than usual.
Today, as more people begin returning to their offices, we are preparing to bring back some of those express routes that haven’t been operating and to add more trips to select others serving northern suburbs. These service changes will take effect in August and are explained in more detail here.
For those of you who are planning to return, let me offer an advanced welcome back. We are excited to see you again, and hope you enjoy riding with us.
While we are bringing back some service, we are not immediately returning to the way things were before the pandemic began.
Many express routes will continue to operate at reduced levels, and some will continue to be suspended, while we wait to see how transportation needs evolve.
We are also looking further ahead to understand how we can provide more all-day, frequent service that provides flexibility to use transit on your schedule, both in our cities and on key highway corridors.
As we welcome more of you back to transit, we know it is more important than ever that we provide a welcoming, clean, and safe environment, every time you ride.
To that end, know that that we will continue to thoroughly clean all our vehicles before they enter service, that our operators are among the safest drivers on the road and that we are continually improving the facilities, trip planning and fare payment tools you rely on.
We also remain cognizant of the fact that the pandemic, while significantly subsided, is not fully over. Under federal requirement, masks will be required on transit through at least mid-September.
As general manager, I have challenged everyone at Metro Transit to work together so we emerge from this pandemic as a stronger, better service provider. The service changes we’re making in August are an important step forward in that direction. Thank you for joining us on this journey.