EXCERPT: “Meeting the growing needs for public transit in Greater Minnesota over the next 20 years is the focus of a plan the Minnesota Department of Transportation released today. The Greater Minnesota Transit Investment Plan sets the 20-year strategic direction and investment priorities to increase mobility for transit users. It supports the state Legislature’s target of meeting 90 percent of the public transit need in Greater Minnesota by 2025. The plan also includes an addendum that outlines how legislative funding changes since the plan was finalized will affect the goal of meeting the target. ‘As the population of Greater Minnesota grows and ages, the need for public transit also increases,’ said Tim Henkel, assistant commissioner for Modal Planning and Program Management. ‘Greater Minnesota transit systems continue to add service hours to reach more communities and increase ridership. As ridership and hours of service have increased, so have costs. The plan is designed to improve ridership based on results from public outreach, specifically improving reliability and frequency of service. The addendum shows that after 2020, the 90 percent target will be harder to achieve.'” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/BdpG2B
