ST PAUL TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION

Move Minnesota leads a coalition of statewide partner organizations calling on the legislature to increase funding for bus, rail, bicycling, and walking.

The Transportation Forward coalition unites groups from across sectors and geographies because transportation impacts every one of us–and we are stronger when we come together to advocate for change! This multi-year effort builds on our decades of coalition-based advocacy at the State Capitol and beyond, with a mix of long-standing and new partnerships moving us forward.

Transit is an essential service to sustain our communities. Many of our most vulnerable community members rely on transit to get to work, the grocery store, and the doctor. Many of these community members are essential workers—people whose jobs are to care for the sick and elderly, people who keep childcare centers running, people who pick up the trash and process shipments. Transit is critical at all times and is crucial for our future.

In the face of these realities, Move Minnesota advocates for emergency and ongoing transit funds at the state and federal level. We coordinate with national transportation and transit advocacy organizations, including TransitCenter and Transportation for America, to push for transit stimulus money and to ensure that funds designated for transit can be used for transit operations as well as capital expenses. We organize partners in Minnesota to boost transit funding on the priority list for the Governor’s administration and for leaders of both parties in the Minnesota House and Senate.

To create a transportation system that is more equitable and just, Move Minnesota is working to change how transit fares are enforced in Minnesota. We demand that the Minnesota Legislature end the harmful fare enforcement practice currently mandated by state law, and replace it with a support-based ambassadors system that addresses the underlying reasons why fares sometimes go unpaid. Fares should be checked by non-police transit ambassadors who have access to information about social services, safe housing, and other resources.

The Twin Cities needs faster, better bus rides for more people. That’s why Move Minnesota is pushing decision-makers to speed up and improve the reliability of Metro Transit’s most-used routes.

We are advocating for simple and inexpensive fixes with the power to make a big impact. Bus riders shouldn’t have to wait years for progress to come one new line at a time—we need improvements now.