Metro Transit ridership rises as Minnesota gas prices climb

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Metro Transit is seeing more people riding buses and trains as gas prices climb, with four straight months of growth this spring.

Ridership trends show steady growth since February

What we know:

Metro Transit reported that ridership was down 5% in January compared to the previous January, but then rebounded with a 3% increase in February. March saw a 2% rise, and both April and May posted 3% gains.

Drew Kerr, spokesperson for Metro Transit, said, “When we see cost of vehicle ownership and purchasing fuel go up, we also know that that leaves people to think whether they could use transit, and we hope that the answer to that question in a lot more cases now is yes.”

Nearly 4.5 million people took Metro Transit buses, trains, or light rail in May. That figure is up 2.5% from May 2025.

From January to May, Metro Transit provided 21 million rides, about 1 percent more than the same period last year.

Metro Transit says bus ridership is up 6% so far this year. Kerr explained, “On the bus side, it’s up about 6%. Where we have not seen ridership grow is on the light rail side, but there’s reasons for that. We’ve had some construction already this year on light rail, and, of course, when trains can’t run because there’s construction, people can’t ride the train.”

AAA reports that the average price of regular gas in Minnesota is $3.88 per gallon, and diesel is $4.98 per gallon, which is slightly lower than last month’s prices.

Metro Transit is continuing to look at how fuel costs and service improvements may help drive more ridership this summer.

Metro Transit is monitoring these trends closely to understand how changes in fuel prices and service updates affect how people get around.