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July 1 marked the official first day that the newly wrapped #99 Downtown Trolley MetroBuses began rolling through downtown St. Louis.  The trolley-style wraps for the buses were provided by the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and the St. Louis Conventions and Visitors Commission (CVC).  At the unveiling this morning at the America’s Center at Washington Avenue and 8th street, an enthusiastic crowd gathered to see the Downtown Trolley and take a tour on its new route.

Passengers included City Guides from the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis (yellow shirts and bikes) and employees, CVC representatives, individuals working with hotel and attractions, as well as local residents.  Steve Patterson of Urban Review STL came along; a lot has changed since the first time we toured the #99 route.

Wait, it isn’t a “real” trolley? No, the Downtown Trolley route is serviced by a 30-foot MetroBus with a colorful vinyl wrap on a new route and with a varied fare structure. Some have asked why Metro isn’t using trolley buses if it is the called Downtown Trolley? The main reasons are cost and infrastructure. We were able to use buses from the existing MetroBus fleet instead of buying and maintaining costly new vehicles. The Downtown Trolley is a demonstration project. If proven successful as a downtown service, Metro will take a look at next steps, such as extending the route or using bigger or different vehicles.

The #99 Downtown Trolley will provide service to the downtown area from 5:30 a.m. to midnight Monday – Friday and from 7 a.m. to midnight  on Saturday. Stops along the route include the Civic Center Transfer Center, the Old Courthouse, the Convention Center MetroLink Station, City Garden, Washington Avenue, City Museum, Soldier’s Memorial and St. Louis City Hall. Check out the #99 map for complete route. An all-day fare is $2 for adults, $1 for children 5-12, seniors and disabled; all Metro passes and transfers are also accepted. So for $2, people from or visiting St. Louis can travel throughout the downtown area all day.

Here’s hoping that the #99 Downtown Trolley is a successful service for downtown and St. Louis transit!

The Big Question: Where are you going to watch the fireworks??

The Mississippi River is flooding, and its waters have reached Lenore K. Sullivan Boulevard*.  But a little river water doesn’t stop the Fair and Fourth of July in St. Louis!  2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Fair St. Louis (formerly known as the Veiled Prophet**, or “V.P.”, Fair), and the weekend is packed with activities.  In addition to the Veiled Prophet Parade, Celebrate St. Louis Concert Series, and of course, fireworks, the Air Show is returning this year.

Harrier Jet - Back for Fair St. Louis Air Show (image via stltoday.com)

Fair St. Louis will be on the Gateway Arch grounds and Memorial Drive.  And while you are visiting the Riverfront, don’t forget to check out all the Core of Discovery activities, like catching an air-conditioned movie in the Museum of Westward Expansion under the Arch, or cool off in the Fountains at City Museum.

The Fair Saint Louis overall schedule of events:

Saturday, July 3, 2010
10 a.m.            133rd Veiled Prophet Parade
Noon                Festival and K-Town Kids Zone Open
Noon                Air show** (120 minutes)
3:15 p.m.         Mo E All-Stars
4:30 p.m.        Charles Glenn band
6:30 p.m.        Bradd Young & Aloha Mischeaux
8 p.m.              John Legend
9:15 p.m.         Fireworks
10 p.m.            Festival closes

Sunday, July 4, 2010
10:45 a.m.      Air Show ** (90 Minutes)
11 a.m.            Festival and K-Town Kids Zone Open
1 p.m.              Jordan Pruitt
3 p.m.              LOGOS
4:30 p.m.        Spontaneous Nugent
5:15 p.m.         Air show** (90 minutes)
8 p.m.              The B-52s
9:15 p.m.         Fireworks
10 p.m.             Festival closes

To accommodate the large crowds, Metro will be running extra MetroLink service and will have employee volunteers out on the alignment at select stations beginning at 5 p.m. both days to help people get on and off the train safely.

MetroLink

Saturday, July 3rd   & Sunday, July 4th – (DAYTIME)
MetroLink will operate every 15 minutes on the Red and Blue lines from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 3rd   & Sunday, July 4th – (EVENING)
MetroLink will operate every 12 minutes on the Red and Blue lines from 5:30 p.m. to 11:40 p.m.

MetroBus

Saturday, July 3rd – Parade Reroutes
MetroBus will operate on a regular Saturday schedule.  Bus routes serving downtown St. Louis will be rerouted from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on July 3rd, due to the closure of Market Street between Jefferson and Broadway.  Signs will be posted at affected bus stops.

Sunday, July 4th
MetroBus will operate on a regular Sunday schedule.

As always, be safe and have fun St. Louis! We’ll see you at the Fair!

(*STL Trivia Points: Lenore K. Sullivan was the Congresswoman from 1953-1977 who was instrumental in passing legislation for the construction of the Gateway Arch.)

(**The Veiled Prophet Parade and Ball were the brainchild of Charles Slayback, local businessman from New Orleans who created the Order of the Veiled Prophet to boost tourism and civic pride to the region after the Civil War.)

UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning, Google Transit directions are available at www.google.com/transit or www.metrostlouis.org.

The first phase in Metro’s Restoration 2010 began today with additional or new service being offered on MetroLink and Missouri MetroBus (see a previous post for complete listing of route and schedule changes). Phase 1 focuses on increasing rush-hour MetroLink train frequency by 25 percent and restoring, expanding or restructuring 20 bus routes. Bus route changes include the return of the Forest Park Shuttle and changes in the #99 Downtown Trolley to serve more locations, including City Museum.

The increased rush-hour frequency on MetroLink means trains every 12 minutes on the Red Line and Blue Line and every 6 minutes between the Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Fairview Heights MetroLink Stations.

The second phase of Restoration is scheduled for August 30, 2010.

As of the writing of this post, Google Transit is not working properly after restoration changes took effect.  Please plan your trip using TripFinder (also linked from www.metrostlouis.org).  We will post an update on the blog, main website, Facebook and Twitter when Google Transit information is updated and available.

Debbie Erickson, our Vice President and Chief Information Officer, received the following question while working as an ambassador for today’s June 28 Restoration: What is the Metro Combo Pass for both transit access and parking at the Clayton MetroLink station garage, and where do you buy it?

The Combo pass permits monthly commuter parking at the Clayton Garage and full fare, without the $1.00 surcharge at Richardson Road in Jefferson County. The Metro Combo Pass is sold only at the MetroRide Store downtown at 7th Street at Washington and costs $88.

Did you know the south leg of the Arch is the location of St. Louis’ first home, that of Pierre Laclede? Or that St. Louis is home to what many consider the first skyscraper? Or that the Old Post Office is built in the same style of the Louvre in Paris?

Old Post Office (photo by bill_streeter in Core of Discovery Flickr Photo Pool)

The Core of Discovery is a district of downtown and Mississippi Riverfront attractions, history and activities from N. 18th Street south to the Gateway Arch Ground and the Riverfront supported by the National Parks Service and the Jefferson National Parks Association.  The Core reflects the history of St. Louis’ environmental and cultural confluence:

St. Louis was founded by traders moving north and south on the river, by explorers and frontier families from the eastern states pushing restlessly west. It is a place that is neither northern nor southern, neither eastern nor western, but the one place that combines traits of all. It has been influenced by descendants of European colonists, by thousands of years of rich Native American culture which predated it and surrounded it, and by standing on the shadow line between the slave states and the free states. It has been both a destination and a gateway to other lands.

The Core of Discovery is designed to be a destination district: Instead of thinking of a loosely-affiliated group of activities to do Downtown and the Riverfront, the Core is bond together through common geographic and historical ties and geared towards active learning and experience. You can rent bikes and cruise up and down the Riverfront, visit the site of the Dred Scott decision at the Old Courthouse, take a Riverboat cruise along the Mississippi River, or sit along the fountains in City Garden. You can even take an architectural tour of downtown St. Louis and the Riverfront:

In addition to the Architectural Tour they are planning additional tours to help us explore the area. Instead of promoting individual attractions, the Core of Discovery highlights an area of interest that provides many options for exploring St. Louis within a pedestrian corridor accessible by foot, transit, or bike. And interwoven in the Core are restaurants, local retail businesses, and hotels.

And right now, this is the time to celebrate the Riverfront, Arch and the heritage of downtown St. Louis. As local place blog Dotage St. Louis points out, “With the ongoing City Arch River 2015 design competition, it’s great to see the National Park Service express its dedication towards connecting the Arch to downtown in the meantime.” This corridor is the birthplace of our St. Louis heritage: the City belongs with the Arch and the River.

Have you spent time in the Core of Discovery? Share stories with their Twitter feed and post photos to their Flickr page. There are already some amazing photos to check out.

Hopefully we will see more attraction districts in St. Louis celebrated around their common history and location in the region. The Core of Discovery, however, is really where it all began.

The folks over at Volkswagen have been having a good time with their “The Fun Theory” ad initiative, which states that by introducing fun to public spaces, you can change behavior for the better. So they asked people all over the world to submit their ideas for using fun to change how people act. Not surprisingly, several of the best submissions (including Volkswagon’s own) involves public transit spaces.

(Click here if you can’t see the video.)

Using the piano stairs, stations goers used the stairs 66% more often than usual. It’s a healthier alternative, and saves wear and tear on the escalator.

Volkswagon’s latest ad initiative: “Fast Lane: What Drives You?” uses the addition of a candy-red slide in an otherwise pastel Alexanderplatz Transit Hub in Berlin, Germany subway to show how childlike fun improves the mood of entire transit experience.

(Click here if you can’t see the video.)

City Museum’s slide is more impressive, but this one looks fun too.

When you have public shared spaces, you inevitably have to address public health concerns. A group of Yale University students tackled the prevalence of illness on college campuses by encouraging students to use more hand sanitizer. With a little help from a few of our favorite childhood Nintendo sounds (we guessed Mario Kart!), the student experimenters successfully increased the number of students using hand sanitizer by seven times.

(Click here if you can’t see the video.)

1-Up for using hand sanitizer!

This video, called “Enjoy My View”, installed a periscope at one of the New York City MTA bus stops, allowing transit riders to look down the street for their bus. Anybody who’s waited for a bus has played the “Step off the curb, squint your eyes, look for the bus” game. The designers not only wanted to provide a fun diversion from the tedium of waiting for the bus, but to also raise awareness of the need for real-time system information at stops.

(Video not visible? Click here.)

Planetizen has a great review of Tim book My Kind of Transit: Rethinking Public Transit in America looking at the way the emotional factors affect how people are both drawn and stay away from public transit. He argues that public transit still has to be about the unique, place-making aspect of transit in addition to travel efficiency.

The Fun Theory award entries page hosts many other creative means to influence public behavior such as recycling, littering, even the performance of public works employees. What would you do to encourage good behavior on public transit and in public spaces? Get people to walk more, ride bikes, recycle, respect each other’s space? Have you seen any creative means of influencing behavior or creating place in St. Louis that could be applied?

As we’ve mentioned several times on Nextstop, Metro will be enacting the first phase of Restoration 2010 service changes on June 28.  For thousands of Metro customers their usual trip times and connections will change next Monday.  If you have a smart phone with a transit planning app or regularly use Google Transit, this may be an easy transition, but many of our customers do not have regular access to the internet or do not use it as a trip planning tool.  When more people have access to service change information, it increases the likelihood they can adjust their routines and avoid missed connections.

Getting the word out to customers can be a challenge for public transit agencies.  We have our spaces in buses for schedules and rider alerts in buses, word of mouth from bus operators, and automated alerts at MetroLink stations.  We also have online communication means through the website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and e-newsletter.  Hopefully, local media will also pick up on the story and remind readers of the upcoming changes.  With a diverse group of people using transit, you need multiple methods of communication.

What do you think are some creative and effective ways to reach customers?  How would you let riders know about service changes?  Where would you post information?  Where do you go to find out about schedule changes?  Who are some effective community partners that could help us push information out, not only for the June 28 changes but also the more extensive service changes coming on August 30?

Creative suggestions are highly welcome.  Hopefully we can use your input to let as many people as possible know about the increases in service coming next Monday and the rest of the year.

June 17 began as a windy, rainy morning in St. Louis for National Dump the Pump Day, and the weather only got worse as the morning commute continued. But for some people, it was just another adventure in dumping the pump in St. Louis.

Anthony Michael Philip on his morning commute to work.

Four years ago, Anthony Michael Philip’s car met its demise in a “random act of vandalism.”  He decided not to replace it and instead to get around through transit and biking.  ”I’ve always loved bicycling. It’s been part of my whole life.  But I live downtown and work in south St. Louis City.  [After his car died] I woke up and thought, ‘What am I gonna do?’ So, I hopped on my bike and rode to work and haven’t gotten a car since.”  I asked him how he finds getting around in St. Louis without a car and he replied, “Piece of cake. Between public transit and my bike, I can get everywhere I want to go.”

When I asked him if he had any advice for people looking to give up one or more of their cars, he said, “Yeah, don’t wait for someone to blow up your car to do it.  There’s no better reason to do it than just because.  It’s good for you and its a great way to get rid of stress.  By the time I get home, I’m ready for my evening.”

Citizens for Modern Transit’s Tom Shrout joined us at Civic Center MetroLink Station and explained that his family went from a two-car family to a one-car family seven or eight years ago.  His favorite perk is using the money saved for other pursuits, especially travel. “With the money we save, we like to go to fun places like Paris, London, Madrid. Those were places we couldn’t go if we were spending money on an extra car.”

There are no shortages of these stories in St. Louis.  Sometimes I hear, “What? Carless in St. Louis?” But people are doing it in our region all of the time, by choice or necessity.  If you have embraced more walking, biking and taking transit in your life, tell your friends, family and coworkers about the benefits and realistic challenges.  When someone is thinking about trying something new, it helps to get encouragement from people who are already doing it.

North East Middle School cheerleaders cheer on transit riders for Dump the Pump Day.

Thank you to everyone who participated in National Dump the Pump Day, especially considering the blustery, rainy weather.  Metro employee Ambassadors were out on the MetroLink alignment and bus transfer centers greeting customers and handing out entry forms for our Dump the Pump giveaway.  You can still register until June 28 to win prizes and alternative transportation gear from Metro, Trailnet, Citizens for Modern Transit, and Great Rivers Greenway.

Have a fun weekend, St. Louis, and however you go, safe travels!

Metro Restoration 2010 Timetables and Route Maps are now available online. All of these changes will begin on Monday, June 28. Please take some time to look at the various changes and see how your commute could be affected. Both Google Transit and TripFinder will be updated so you can plan your trip online or via Google Maps app for your smart phone.

MetroLink Service Changes

Weekday rush hour service enhanced, with trains every 12 minutes on the Red Line and the Blue Line, and every 6 minutes from Forest Park to Fairview Heights.

MetroBus Service Changes

#3 Forest Park Shuttle – Service began on Saturday May 29, 2010. During operating hours of the #3 Forest Park Shuttle.  The #90 Hampton will not operate in the park.

#4 Natural Bridge – To provide a safe transfer at the Civic Center Station between buses and MetroLink the route will be changed to boarding location southbound on 14th Street @ Spruce. Eastbound trips from east on Market, right on 14th end of route at Civic Center Station. Westbound from Civic Center Station, continue south on 14th, right on Chouteau, right on 18th, left on Market via regular route.

#11 Chippewa – Service improvements Monday through Friday

#17 Oakville Laclede Station – Route changed to serve WAC on Green Park Industrial Dr. and time adjustments.

#32 Wellston ML King – Trip added leaving DePaul Hospital at 11:28PM Weekdays.

#34 Earth City – AM & PM rush hour service restored

#41 Lee – To provide a safe transfer at the Civic Center Station between buses and MetroLink the route will be changed to boarding location southbound on 14th Street & Spruce. Eastbound trips continue south on 14th end of route at Civic Center Station. Westbound from Civic Center Station, continue south on 14th, right on Chouteau, right on 18th, right on Market, left on 14th via regular route.

#48 South Lindbergh – Service provided between Ballas Transit Center and Veterans’ Hospital via South County Mall.

#49 North Lindbergh – Service provided between Ballas Transit Center and North Hanley MetroLink Station

#58 Clayton Ballas – Will operate between Clayton MetroLink Station and Ballas Transit Center. (See #158 Ballas – West County for service to the hospitals and Delmar Gardens Chesterfield and West).

#64 Lucas Hunt – Rush hour service restored.

#70 Grand – Service improvements Monday through Sunday.

#90 Hampton – The #90 Hampton will not enter Forest Park Monday through Sunday between the hours of 9am and 7pm due to traffic. Passengers proceeding into Forest Park will need to transfer to the #3 Forest Park Shuttle at the Forest Park Station. Twenty minute rush hour service provided weekdays and additional service provided between Hampton Loop and Catalan Loop seven days a week.

#95 Kingshighway – Service improvements Monday through Friday.

#97 Delmar – To provide a safe transfer at the Civic Center Station between buses and MetroLink the route will be changed to boarding location southbound on 14th Street @ Spruce. Eastbound trips continue south on 14th end of route at Civic Center Station. Westbound from Civic Center Station, continue south on 14th, right on Chouteau, right on 18th, right on Market, left on 14th via regular route.

#99 Downtown Trolley – To provide better coverage in downtown St. Louis this route will provide service on Market Street and on Washington to the City Museum. Northbound from Civic Center, right on 14th, right on Market, left on 4th Street, left on Washington, right on 16th, end of route at 16th and Delmar. Southbound right on Delmar, right on 14th, left on Washington, right on Broadway, right on Market, left on 14th end of line at Civic Center Station.

#158 Ballas – West County – New route providing service from Ballas Transit Center to St. John’s Hospital, Maryville Center and Maryville University, St. Luke’s Hospital, Delmar Gardens Chesterfield & West, and Cedars at JCA. This route will be timed with the #58 Clayton Ballas and #258 Clayton Chesterfield at the Ballas Transit Center.

#210 Fenton Gravois Bluffs – Service area expanded to provide service via Friendship Village South, Wal-Mart and Allied College on Gravois Bluffs Blvd.

#36X Bissell Hills Express – Line number changed from #240X Bissell Hills Express. Schedule remains the same.

#258 Clayton Chesterfield – Westbound trips extended to exit Spirit Airport Blvd.

We look forward to being out there and bringing better service to St. Louis. Another round of restoration service changes will come on August 30.

Happy Anniversary Nextstop!

One year ago, Metro went live with a new experiment for Agency public communications – our transit blog Nextstop.  Four employee volunteers from the Engineering, Research, IT and Government/Community Affairs departments collaboratively created the blog and its concept using the inexpensive and accessible tools of online media to connect with other people interested in transit-related issues in St. Louis and around the country.  At the time, Metro had enacted some of the most drastic cuts in its history.  We wanted to try new and engaging ways to reach out to the public.  One year later, the public transit funding initiative in St. Louis County passed with a large majority.  We are now two weeks away from restoring some of the service lost in 2009, and more coming in August.  It’s a much better future for St. Louis public transit, but we’ve got a long way to go, and much work to do.

What we’ve learned that having Nextstop has given us more ways to reach out to riders, get feedback, talk about the importance of transit, and tell people what Metro does and why.  We’ve been using Nextstop to tell you about our projects while they happen, and hear your suggestions for changing and improving them.  We’ve been showing you how Metro receives funding and makes budgeting decisions.  We’ve solicited feedback on service changes, and taken your ideas to create a long-range transit improvement plan.  We’ve shown pictures and videos about the Metro system and the neighborhoods it feeds.  All of this only scratches the surface of how we can use the internet to improve how Metro talks to our customers and how we do business.

But we agree that one of the most significant things Nextstop has accomplished is put us online via the blog, Twitter, Facebook, and social events, where we can carry on meaningful, real-time conversations with our customers and friends, receive immediate feedback on anything we do, and provide responses when people raise concerns.  This type of engagement is making us a better transit agency.  It allows us to bring a different perspective to how we interact with the community, and it pushes us to make changes that would have positive impacts on riders and community perception.

So thank you to all readers and commentors for your interest and interaction during our first year.  We hope to continue to bring forward more information about public transit and related issues in the next year, to continue the conversation, and learn more from the community.

Thank you,

Courtney, Jennifer, Todd and Paul