Minneapolis, MN – I’m Steven, and I live in downtown Minneapolis, where I work as a bus operator. But I don’t just drive the bus—I ride it daily. Whether I’m heading to the YMCA, the library, or work, I take transit because it’s convenient, affordable, and the best way to navigate the city without relying on a car.
Minneapolis has some great high-frequency routes, and I’m lucky to live in an area where I have plenty of transit options. But I also see where things could be improved. One of the biggest frustrations I’ve noticed is how stop removals and service changes impact riders. When key stops are eliminated, it forces people to walk farther, transfer more, or in some cases, stop using transit altogether. I’ve seen ridership drop on routes where stops were removed because when you make transit less convenient, people turn to other options—even if that means driving. Instead of making the system more accessible, these decisions end up pushing people away from transit, which is the opposite of what we should be doing.
Another issue that doesn’t get talked about enough is what bus operators deal with. Our layover locations—where we take breaks, use the restroom, or just rest for a few minutes—have been pushed farther away, adding unnecessary delays to routes. I deserve a break just like anyone else, but when my bathroom is a 10-minute walk away and my layover is only 7 minutes, it creates delays for riders. Decisions like this don’t just inconvenience operators—they make the entire system less efficient.
There’s also a major misconception about who takes public transit. Some people assume buses are just for people who have no other option available, but that’s far from the truth. I take the bus, and I make a good living. I have coworkers and neighbors who take transit not because they have to, but because it’s the best option. The problem is, we’ve been conditioned to see driving as the default, even when public transit is more convenient. For example, I can take the bus to the grocery store in the same amount of time as driving, without having to deal with parking or traffic. But some people avoid transit because of the stigma, even if it would actually make their lives easier.
If I could talk to policymakers, I’d tell them this: The bus is always going to be there, and one day, you might need it. People assume they’ll never have to take transit, but circumstances change—cars break down, gas prices rise, and life happens. Investing in transit now means making sure it’s there when people need it most. Instead of catering to cars and parking, we should be focusing on getting more people on buses, expanding service, and making transit the obvious choice for everyone.
Let’s make transit something people don’t just use because they have to but because they want to. That’s the future I want to see.