Missouri Baseball Fans Don’t Ride Buses, Illinois Fans Do
The following is an October 18th press release from our transit agency Metro:
Extra MetroLink Service for World Series Games 1 and 2
The excitement is building in Cardinal Nation on the eve of Game 1 of the World Series in St. Louis, and Metro Transit is ready to help Cards fans and visitors avoid downtown traffic congestion on game nights.
Metro will operate extra Eastbound and Westbound trains after the Wednesday and Thursday night games to help the crowds get home, and Metro staff will be at the Stadium MetroLink Station and other nearby stations to monitor the crowds and assist with customer boarding.
Great, but no mention of MetroBus service at all. Â Maybe bus service isn’t that significant relative to light rail?
From the bottom of Metro’s press releases:
Metro is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 365 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 75 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans.
The fact is buses move many more people in the region each and every day than light rail. The exception might be game days. What about the person in north city or south county that wants to attend a game with no nearby access to light rail but one of the 75 regular MetroBus routes? Sorry, no extra bus service. Most likely there isn’t a need — no masses of people crowding bus stops wearing red.
Except in St. Clair County across the river. In addition to MetroLink light rail service in St. Clair County the transit district operates the RedBird Express — $5 per adult round trip:
TO THE GAME –
Buses leave from: 134 St. Clair Square, Fairview Heights, Il, 62208, near the Water Tower. First bus leaves 2 1/2 hours prior to game time with service every 5 – 10 minutes.
Fares are round trip only. Cash fares only. No passes, tickets, or transfers accepted on Special Service. Exact fares please.
Last bus leaves 40 minutes prior to game times.
All Buses are wheelchair lift equipped and unload/load outside Gate 4 (Left Field) which is on the corner of 7th & Clark.
HOME FROM THE GAME –
The buses will be lined up at the corner of 7th and Clark at the pick-up/drop-off point. When leaving the stadium, board the front bus and once the bus has a seated load it will return to Fairview Heights.
In the event of an early exit (rain delay, extra innings, heat related, etc…), passengers always have the option to exit the stadium and board the bus to return whenever they see fit. Once there are enough passengers to warrant a return trip, a bus will return. Always go to the front bus unless instructed otherwise by one of our representatives.
MOST IMPORTANT: The last bus will return from the stadium 25 minutes after the official end of the game.
Are baseball fans in Illinois more willing to ride buses or they do so because the service is offered and promoted? Would such service from Jamestown, Chesterfield and South County malls see similar use if offered?
I’d like to see many more baseball fans using transit to reach the games. The fares though won’t cover the costs but that is true of all transit. Of course the cost of auto exhaust, accidents, etc is a cost we all share in. I’d like to see one or both stadium garages  removed so that land can be used for people not cars.
– Steve Patterson
Three likely answers, including the one you touched on, that any service on the Missouri side isn’t marketed well, or at all. The other two are budget choices and limitations on unfair competition. The Metro board may have simply decided that their limited resources are better devoted to providing service to daily commuters and the truly transit-dependent than trying to cover the overtime required for special events like ball games. I’m also pretty sure that public transit agencies are prohibited from competing with the private sector unfairly when it comes to providing services outside their core mission. Game day service can be construed as charter operations and either private charter bus operators and/or the many bars that run “free” shuttles to games may have asserted that point to the Metro board.
Still, the answer may simply be one of “Been there, done that – tried it and it didn’t work”. Like every other transit system, Metro has limited dollars and never-ending requests for more service. Choices need to be made, including some hard ones. Even the people who currently use Metrolink to get to games aren’t satisfied – they think that more rail service is needed. Plus, I’m not hearing a lot of buzz about paking being either too expensive or hard to find around our sports venues; the only buzz that I’m hearing is about break-ins, and the city seems to be trying to address that by requiring more private security.
Three likely answers, including the one you touched on, that any service on the Missouri side isn’t marketed well, or at all. The other two are budget choices and limitations on unfair competition. The Metro board may have simply decided that their limited resources are better devoted to providing service to daily commuters and the truly transit-dependent than trying to cover the overtime required for special events like ball games. I’m also pretty sure that public transit agencies are prohibited from competing with the private sector unfairly when it comes to providing services outside their core mission. Game day service can be construed as charter operations and either private charter bus operators and/or the many bars that run “free” shuttles to games may have asserted that point to the Metro board.
Still, the answer may simply be one of “Been there, done that – tried it and it didn’t work”. Like every other transit system, Metro has limited dollars and never-ending requests for more service. Choices need to be made, including some hard ones. Even the people who currently use Metrolink to get to games aren’t satisfied – they think that more rail service is needed. Plus, I’m not hearing a lot of buzz about paking being either too expensive or hard to find around our sports venues; the only buzz that I’m hearing is about break-ins, and the city seems to be trying to address that by requiring more private security.
I can’t say that I completely agree. On those few occasions we’ve attended sporting events (baseball / hockey) and ridden the Metrolink it can be standing room only. The one and only time we caught the bus on Gravois for a ball game it appeared that most of the riders seemed to be hospitality workers downtown.
I can’t say that I completely agree. On those few occasions we’ve attended sporting events (baseball / hockey) and ridden the Metrolink it can be standing room only. The one and only time we caught the bus on Gravois for a ball game it appeared that most of the riders seemed to be hospitality workers downtown.
Having grown up on the Illinois side, there is also a psychological factor of driving across the “big scary bridge” into the “big scary city” that a lot of Illinois residents seem to have. This makes for a popular and seemingly safe option, whereas people from North, West, and South County probably come to Downtown more often (of course they may have the same safety reservations).
Having grown up on the Illinois side, there is also a psychological factor of driving across the “big scary bridge” into the “big scary city” that a lot of Illinois residents seem to have. This makes for a popular and seemingly safe option, whereas people from North, West, and South County probably come to Downtown more often (of course they may have the same safety reservations).
when this press release was posted on facebook, i commented about how difficult it is to ride the bus home from the game to south city (getting there is no problem). i live near Broadway/Lemp and took the 40 to a couple of games this year. after the game, you have to walk about 4-5 blocks to get to a point where you can safely catch a southbound bus home. With all of the charter buses and limousines lining up at the curb along Broadway, all of the bus stops are blocked. The city, metro, and busch stadium need to address this and make sure that people are able to catch their SCHEDULED bus home. Adding additional routes for game days would be the next step.
when this press release was posted on facebook, i commented about how difficult it is to ride the bus home from the game to south city (getting there is no problem). i live near Broadway/Lemp and took the 40 to a couple of games this year. after the game, you have to walk about 4-5 blocks to get to a point where you can safely catch a southbound bus home. With all of the charter buses and limousines lining up at the curb along Broadway, all of the bus stops are blocked. The city, metro, and busch stadium need to address this and make sure that people are able to catch their SCHEDULED bus home. Adding additional routes for game days would be the next step.
While it may be classified as a public bus it functions more as a private shuttle. Do I think it would work in West Co? Probably but to a lesser extent.
However I don’t expect anyone in West Co or Illinois getting on a bus like the 70 Grand
While it may be classified as a public bus it functions more as a private shuttle. Do I think it would work in West Co? Probably but to a lesser extent.
However I don’t expect anyone in West Co or Illinois getting on a bus like the 70 Grand