Rochester, Minn., Considers Redesigning Bus Shelters

By Matt Russell, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.

Jan. 9–From new routes to a new way to pay fares, a string of changes is in the works for the public bus system in Rochester.

This year, downtown bus shelters could get their first makeover in nearly 20 years, according to Tony Knauer, the city’s transit and parking manager.

The new shelters could be larger than the current shelters and include electronic message boards, Knauer said. He expects designs will be discussed this spring, but the timing of construction is unclear because it needs to be coordinated with road work on Second Street Southwest.

Elsewhere in the city, an expected increase in transit funding from the state’s motor vehicle sales tax could help expand bus service in 2009, Knauer said.

Two more Rochester City Lines routes are possible in northwest Rochester next year, as well as the expansion of two routes in southeast Rochester. Also possible in that timeframe are two cross-town routes, one on the north side of the city and the other on the south side, Knauer said.

Citywide, six new bus shelters are expected to be installed this summer or fall, with some replacing existing shelters and others going to bus stops that don’t have shelters, Knauer said.

Other changes are possible down the road:

–A transit hub in northwest Rochester. The hub, which could still be a few years away from opening if it happens, would allow people on certain routes to transfer buses there instead of downtown.

–A larger bus loading area near Saint Marys Hospital, an idea that needs to be coordinated with a recently started planning effort in the area.

–Electronic bus passes that lets passengers pay fares by swiping a card. This change likely will be timed to the opening of a new transit operations center that won’t open until late 2009 at the earliest.

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