Metro Transit provided more than 241,000 rides to the Minnesota State Fair from suburban park-and-ride lots this year, a 33% increase over last year.
"Transit is always a great way to get to big events and there aren't many events that are bigger than the Minnesota State Fair," Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said. "We are thrilled we could expand our State Fair Express Bus service this year, allowing more people to make Metro Transit a part of their fair experience."
Metro Transit deployed more than 100 buses a day to provide its State Fair express service. The agency resumed service from the 95th Avenue park-and-ride lot in Blaine for the first time in several years, which helped fuel the large uptick in ridership, spokesman Drew Kerr said. Metro Transit also ran express buses from lots in Bloomington, Minnetonka and Cottage Grove.
The agency is hoping to open a fifth State Fair express park-and-ride site in 2024.
Attendance at this year's Great Minnesota Get-Together was 1,835,826 people, making it the sixth-best-attended fair.
