This link provides excellent guides, including some videos, explaining the basics you need to know for each form of mass transit.
Two especially helpful links from the How to Ride section are: Fares and Passes and Transfers.
If possible, you should explore the full size version of the Metro Transit website before using it on a mobile device in order to better understand the transit system and the website tools. Some of the maps are quite large and the full website contains links to maps and information that you might want to print. The next three pages of this website include links and information to help you get the most from this great resource.
Green bus photo below is from Metro Transit.
In addition to using their website, you can contact Metro Transit by phone for help planning trips using Metro Transit. Call +1 612 373-3333 ☎ (Their hours have been reduced to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.)
Click on the image above to view a large version.
The Metro Transit home page has two locations for planning trips. The Maps and Schedules pull down menu on the upper left is the easiest to use if part of your trip includes a popular destination. The section in the top right works well on mobile devices and can provide more information than the special mobile version of the website.
The title Metro Transit Home Page written in bold above links to Metro Transit's home page.
Click the edited picture of the home page below to view information about Trip Planner access from the home page.
The Trip Planner image below is from the version found when using the pull down menu on the top left of the home page. This version has the option to select landmarks rather than manually entering addresses. I chose to capture the Popular Destinations menu.
Click the image below to view the Popular Locations list. (The other menus are Light Rail Stations, Northstar Stations, Shopping Centers, and Museums.)
Click on the image to the left to see a larger version of the Trip Planner image created from the menu at the upper left of the home page.
You must enter your starting address or landmark, your destination address or landmark, and the time you plan to either leave or arrive. You should also fill in the "Other Options" section where you can enter the distance you are willing to walk and other priorities.
In addition to the basic information about each itinerary, the trip plan results contain several valuable highlighted links. (It is helpful to be familiar with these ahead of time.)
The image below is a screen capture of my trip plan results. Click for larger image.
Hints for using the links from the Trip Plan Results screen:
- Walking portions of the route are linked to maps showing you the route to follow.
- Clicking on the stop name reveals the stop ID# and a map of the stop. The stop number links to the NexTrip section of the website. The stop number ID is specific to the direction the bus is traveling in as well as the location.
- The route number and name provide a link to the interactive map as well as a schedule which includes a barely visible link to a detailed pdf route map. (There are also links to NexTrip and Detours and Alerts.) To the right of the route, there is a link to the list of stops for the route with your portion of the route highlighted. The bus drivers announce the stops as the bus approaches them, and so the list of stops is very helpful.
- There is also a link to service alerts for that route and the phone number to call if you need help, which is 1-612-373-3333.
The "About NexTrip" link above connects to MetroTransit's directions for using the NexTrip feature.
Saving a Personal Itinerary
The screen capture below shows a trip showing a walking route, using light rail to the convention center to arrive at 09:00 AM. The lower right section of the screen capture shows the results of saving the trip. Click on photo for larger image and on the text above to view Metro Transit's instructions.
This trip plan suggested a light rail option (route 55) for the second and third itineraries, so I selected that as the route to save.
The features on this page work for both the full website version and the mobile version of the Metro Transit website.
All the features of the full website version work on tablets and phones, but some of the larger maps and the interactive map are difficult to use on a small screen.
When you visit the Metro Transit web site from a mobile device you will go directly to the mobile site.
Click the image below to go to the Metro Transit Mobile website. Notice the link at the bottom to Full Website.
A link to the Services Finder can be found in the menu located in the upper right corner of the Metro Transit home page. There is also a link to Services Finder on the home page of the Metro Transit mobile website. The long list below was obtained from the mobile website. At the bottom of the results there is a link to the full website.
You can search for bike lockers, fare retailers, Go-To Card retailers, Park & Ride lots, Rail stations, and Registered Van/Carpool Parking as well as Stops and stop numbers.
The results below are for a Stops and stop numbers search I reproduced here. Clicking on the stop IDs links to NexTrip where you can see the next trip's arrival in real time as well as the times for the next few scheduled trips. If you are willing to walk up to a mile, then there are even more possibilities including Light Rail along Hiawatha Ave. from the location I selected. These can be easily found when zoomed in on the Interactive Map (though this is more difficult on mobile devices).
Note: All text in blue below links directly to the MetroTransit website. When you click a stop ID # you will see the NexTrip results for that stop.
Transit service near 2816 32ND AVE S
1 - Lake St E & 31 Av S
- Route 21 - West
2 - Lake St E & 33 Av S
- Route 21 - East
3 - Lake St E & 33 Av S
- Route 21 - West
4 - Lake St E & 31 Av S
- Route 21 - East
5 - 36 Av S & 28 St E
- Route 9 - West
6 - 36 Av S & 28 St E
- Route 9 - East
7 - 36 Av S & 29 St E
- Route 9 - East
8 - 36 Av S & 29 St E
- Route 9 - West
9 - 27 Av S & 28 St E
- Route 7 - South
10 - 28 St E & 27 Av S
- Route 7 - North
11 - 36 Av S & 27 St E
- Route 9 - West
12 - 36 Av S & 27 St E
- Route 9 - East
13 - 36 Av S & Lake St E
- Route 9 - West
14 - Lake St E & 36 Av S
- Route 21 - East
- Route 53 - East
15 - 36 Av S & Lake St E
- Route 9 - East
16 - Lake St E & 36 Av S
- Route 21 - West
- Route 53 - West
17 - Lake St E & 28 Av S
- Route 21 - West
18 - 25 St E & 31 Av S
- Route 9 - West
19 - 25 St E & 31 Av S
- Route 9 - East
20 - 26 Av S & 28 St E
- Route 7 - North
21 - Lake St E & 28 Av S
- Route 21 - East
Contact Us | 612-373-3333 | Full Website |
This page has links to the Metro Transit's Mobile App as well as some third party applications and a link to Metro Transit data for creating your own mobile app. There is also a link that provides details concerning how to add a personalized Trip Planner to a website to help people reach a destination using mass transit and instructions for using Metro Transit's GPS data.
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