Moving Forward

Metro Bus is making improvements to the fixed route system for residents in St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park that better fits their schedules.
Improvements include new routes, new schedules, service to new areas and operations focused on more reliable schedules in and around St. Cloud — well into the future.
It’s a step up for how riders, from students to seniors, will move around.

Click on the links below to view and print the proposed maps and schedules.

Route names will change to a numbering system.

Route 1 (formerly Waite Park)

Features
· 60 minute long route with 30 minute departures, 7 days a week
· Linear route serves the same areas in both directions
· Popular destinations: 3rd St. N. corridor; Midtown Square; Crossroads Center; and Parkwood Theater
· New service to new hotels located on 37th Av. and Hwy 15
· Only route that serves Parkwood Theater area

Route 2
Route 2 (formerly Pantown)

Features
· 60 minute long route with 30 minute departures, 7 days a week
· Linear route serves the same areas in both directions
· Popular destinations: St. Cloud Hospital; SCTC; Whitney Center; YMCA; North Village; VA Medical Center; and Crossroads Center
· New service on the newly constructed 44th Ave.

Route 3
Route 3 (formerly West Side)

Features
· Route runs every 80 minutes on weekdays, 60 minutes on weeknights and weekends
· Popular destinations: St. Cloud Public Library; Walgreens; Byerly’s; Rasmussen College, Cash Wise; Cub Foods/ Walmart; Crossroads Center; Menards; and MN School of Business
· New service area, weekdays: Hwy 23 W. to 28th Ave. to Mills Fleet Farm and the new Stearns Co. Service Center
· Serves Crossroads Center and Cub Foods/Walmart in both directions

Route 4
Route 4 (formerly North Side)

Features
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes on weekdays, every 2 hours on weekends
· Linear route serves the same areas in both directions
· Popular destinations: 9th Ave. N. corridor; St. Cloud Hospital; 15th St. N./SCTC; Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center; Sartell Medical complexes along Dehler Drive and Connecticut Ave.; and CentraCare Health Plaza
· Directly connects St. Cloud Hospital to CentraCare Health Plaza

Route 5
Route 5 (formerly South Side)

Features
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes on weekdays, every 2 hours on weekends
· Mostly linear that serves the same areas in both directions
· Popular destinations: SCSU; Garden Square and Washington Place Apts.; West Stonehill Apts.; WACOSA; and Crossroads Center
· Directly connects SCSU to Crossroads Center, with no transfers
· WACOSA uses same stop both directions, no crossing the street

Route 6_7
Route 6 & Route 7 (formerly East Side 15 & 45)

Features
· Runs the same schedules as the current East Side :15 & :45
· Route 6 runs counter-clockwise, like East Side :45 · Route 7 runs clockwise, like East Side :15
· Popular destinations: Target; Cub Foods/Shopko; Sherwood Manor; Lancaster Apartments; and Cloverleaf Park

Route 9
Route 9 (formerly Southeast)

Features
· Route runs every 40 minutes on weekdays, 80 minutes on weekends
· Popular destinations: St. Augustine’s; Talahi Care Center/ University Village Townhomes; Sterling Heights and Highlands Apts.; St. Benedict’s Senior Community; and Clemens Rose Gardens
· New Service to Sterling Heights and Highlands Apts.; additional stop for St. Benedict’s Senior Community on 15th Ave.

Route 10 (formerly Westwood)

Features
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes, 7 days a week
· Popular destinations: Veterans Drive; Centennial Plaza; Electrolux; Municipal Athletic Complex; CompuCredit; Westwood School; and Industrial Park West
· Added service along Savannah Ave., off of Ridgewood Road
· Direct service from downtown to Westwood area via Veterans Drive, with no transfers

Route 11 (formerly University)

Features
· Route runs every 40 minutes on weekdays, 80 minutes on weekends
· Popular destinations: SCSU; Tech High School; Cooper Ave. Coborn’s Superstore; Goettens Neighborhood; and apartments along Maine Prairie and Quarry Roads
· New service to Tech High School (both directions) and Coborn’s Superstore
· Directly connects SCSU to: downtown; Coborn’s Superstore; and student housing areas on Maine Prairie Road & Quarry Road

Route 12 (formerly Route 75)

Features
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes, now with weekend service (7 days a week)
· Direct service from McStop area to SCSU and downtown, with no transfers
· Popular destinations: SCSU; La Paz/La Cruz area; Clearwater Road; Medical Group South; McStop; and Laudenbach Court
· Expanded weekday and weekend hours

Route 21_22
Route 21 & Route 22 (formerly Sauk Rapids 15 & 45)

Features
· Runs the same schedules as the current Sauk Rapids :15 & :45
· Route 21 runs counter-clockwise, like Sauk Rapids :45
· Route 22 runs clockwise, like Sauk Rapids :15
· Popular destinations: Coborn’s Superstore; Fischer’s; Evergreen Village; Country Manor; Good Shepherd; and Huisken Meats
· New service extended to Sauk Rapids-Rice High School at select times during the school year
· Service eliminated along 4th and 6th Aves. N. between 11th St. and 5th St., and route will stay on Summit Ave. to the middle school, rather than loop past Mississippi Heights

Route 31 (formerly Sartell)

Features
· Route runs every 40 minutes, now with weekend service (7 days a week)
· Looping route with service in one direction only
· Service no longer extended to Crossroads Center, instead hubs out of Epic Center
· Popular destinations: CentraCare Health Plaza; Sartell Coborn’s Superstore; Pine Cone Road; City Hall; High School & Middle Schools; Riverside Shopping Plaza; DeZurik; Hi Vue; Country Manor; Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center; and Sartell Medical complexes along Dehler Drive and Connecticut Ave.
· New service to Sartell Medical complexes on Dehler Drive and Connecticut Ave.; Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center
· Expanded weekday and weekend service

Route 32 (new West Metro route)

Features
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes, 7 days a week
· Popular destinations: Crossroads Center; 54th Ave./River’s Edge; County Road 4 & County Road 120/Kensington Apts.; Sartell Coborn’s Superstore; Senior and Assisted Living Apts. on Heritage Drive; Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center; CentraCare Health Plaza; Sartell Medical complexes on Dehler Drive and Connecticut Ave.
· New service along County Road 4 to County Road 120 to Kensington Apts. along the new Robert’s Road; and Heritage Drive
· Completely new route, covers the West Metro area

Route 33 (formerly Southwest/Crosstown)

Features
· 80 minute long route that runs every 80 minutes, 7 days a week
· Serves St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Sartell
· Popular destinations: Crossroads Center; Cub Foods/ Walmart; 33rd Ave.; North Village Area; 15th St. N./SCTC/ Timberland Apts.; St. Cloud Hospital; Sauk Rapids Coborn’s Superstore; and Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center
· Provides bidirectional connection between Sauk Rapids Coborn’s Superstore to Walmart & Sam’s Club at Epic Center

Route 41 (proposed future St. Joseph route)

Features
· Proposed future route for City of St. Joseph
· 60 minute long route that runs every 60 minutes, 7 days a week
· Hubs out of Crossroads Center
· Popular destinations: Crossroads Center; County Road 75; Mills Fleet Farm; Stearns Co. Service Center; St. Joseph Coborn’s Superstore; and the College of St. Benedict
· Could replace route 3 service to Stearns County Service center.

Route 81_83
Route 81 (formerly Campus Clipper Southeast) and Route 83 (formerly Campus Clipper Northeast)

Features

Proposed Route 81
· Route will not change in 2010. Will occur in 2011 or 2012
· Route will run every 30 minutes
· New service to Sterling Heights and Highland Apts.; additional stop for St. Benedict’s Senior Community on 15th Ave.

Proposed Route 83
· Change to occur Fall 2009 for service to Northstar Park & Ride Lot with direct connection to/from SCSU.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is being changed?
A: There will be:
• Service to new areas
• Expanded weekend service to Sartell, Westwood and Route 75 areas
• More single-route rides.
• Whole new naming system. Routes will be named by number system.

Q. What’s the reason for the changes?
A: Metro Bus fixed routes are being modified to improve on time performance, fit changing travel needs and service new areas.

Q. When will the changes occur?
A: Fall 2010.

Q. Which routes will change?
A: Most routes will see some level of change, some more than others — including one entirely new route. More specific information is available at the Informative Sessions.

Q. How was the plan developed?
A: Metro Bus conducted extensive research of how riders, non-riders, community and business leaders view the system. The study was funded by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Q. What did the surveys show?
A. Through the study Metro Bus learned more about its riders and what the community wanted:
• Most of the people who ride Metro Bus didn’t have a vehicle available for their trip.
• Many riders use the bus five or more days a week and make two or more trips per day.
• The biggest reason to ride the bus is to travel to and from work or school.
• The majority of Metro Bus riders are employed. The second-largest group is unemployed students. Retired individuals, homemakers and unemployed individuals make up only a small percentage of riders.
• 63 percent of the riders need to transfer routes to complete their trip.
• 18 percent were new riders in 2008; 25 percent were new riders within the last two years. • Services that riders indicated they would like to see improved are: evening hours, weekend, and areas served.
• 53 percent of potential riders think it’s difficult to learn how to get to places using Metro Bus.