Midnight Wednesday is the last day for groups of two or four people to buy discounted express bus tickets to take Metro Transit to the Minnesota State Fair.
The agency is selling round-trip tickets for two for $9 and groups of four tickets for $15. The regular fair is $5 round trip, so a group of two will save $1 and a group of four will save $5.
Advanced tickets can be used any day of the State Fair, which begins Thursday and runs through Labor Day. They are available onlineor in person at Metro Transit's retail stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Tickets bought online can be printed at home or downloaded to a mobile device. Tickets will be scanned as fairgoers board the bus. Last year 7,000 people took advantage of the discounted fairs. So far this year, 2,000 Bus Bargain tickets have been sold.
Bus Bargain tickets are good only on Metro Transit State Fair Express service from its network of Park and Ride lots throughout the metro area. Service operates from 8 a.m. to midnight daily from:
- I-394 and County Road 73, Minnetonka
- Best Buy Park and Ride, 7601 Penn Avenue, Richfield
- Bloomington/Mall of America, 82nd Street and 24th Av. S.
- Brookdale Square, Shingle Creek Pkwy. and Bass Lake Road, Brooklyn Center
- Cottage Grove Park and Ride, along Hwy. 61 on West Point Douglas Rd. between 80th St. and Jamaica Avenue.
- Dunwoody College of Technology, I-394 and Dunwoody Blvd., Minneapolis.
- Fridley Northstar Commuter Station, 61st and Main St. NE., Fridley
- Marcus Oakdale Theater, 5677 Hadley Ave. N., Oakdale. Use the northeast corner of the lot.
- Maple Grove Transit Station, I-94 and Hemlock Lane, Maple Grove.
- Maplewood Mall, 1793 Beam Avenue, Maplewood
- National Sports Center, 1700 105th Avenue NE., Blaine.
- Parade Stadium, 600 Kenwood Pkwy., Minneapolis
- Signal Hills Shopping Center, near K-Mart at S. Robert Street and Butler Avenue, West St. Paul.
On weekends (Aug. 24-25 and Aug. 31-Sept. 1.), Metro Transit is also offering a special deal for families who take the Northstar Commuter train to the fair. Families of two adults and three people ages 6 to 17 can take the train to the Fridley Station, then transfer to a State Fair Express bus to and from the fair. A Family Pass is available at online for $11 to $20 depending on which station customers board. The pass includes both rail and bus fare.
The regular Northstar weekend schedule will operate, so be sure you know when the last train leaves. A schedule for weekend service can be found here.
