Metro moves our community forward...

BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK EVERY DAY

More than 50 million times each year, someone boards a MetroBus, MetroLink train or Metro Call-A-Ride van. Most passengers depend on Metro Transit to get to their jobs. Before the service reductions in March 2009, 97 percent of all the jobs in St. Louis City and St. Louis County could be reached by riding Metro Transit. Our community relies on the people who ride Metro Transit to get to work at hospitals, nursing homes, stores, restaurants and other businesses.

BY CREATING ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR OUR REGION.

Metro Transit provides a significant return on investment to the region. A study for the American Public Transportation Association calculates that every dollar invested in transit operations returns $4 to the local economy. A study conducted by the University of Missouri - Rolla demonstrated that Missouri residents using Metro Transit to commute to work earn $2.2 billion in annual wages, which is equal to more than 50,000 jobs paying more than $40,000 per year. MetroLink expansion has spurred $2 billion in development in areas that surround the stations.

BY PROVIDING ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP-PERFORMING TRANSIT SYSTEMS.

Metro Transit ranks among the best in the nation for on-time performance, vehicle reliability and safety. Metro Transit is cost efficient. Among 10 peer cities reporting in the National Transportation Database, Metro spends among the lowest amounts per passenger and taxpayers contribute among the lowest amounts per passenger. Before service reductions in March 2009, Metro Transit ridership increased 18 percent over a five year period. Bus ridership climbed higher than most other transit systems during that period. Metro has improved the efficiencies of its operation in order to do more with less. Improvements in its workers' compensation program save taxpayers $4 million per year. Improvements in its vehicle maintenance program have saved taxpayers more than $2.5 million per year.

BY MAKING OUR COMMUNITY A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK.

Our community relies on the people who ride Metro Transit to work at hospitals, nursing homes, stores, restaurants and other businesses. A reliable transit system means a reliable work force. Nearly 700,000 times each year, a person with disabilities or an elderly person relies on Metro's Call-A-Ride service to get to an important destination, such as a job, school or medical appointment. Thousands of people ride Metro Transit every year to sporting events, concerts and other special events. Each day, 45,000 fewer vehicles are on our region's highways because of the people who use Metro Transit, making everyone's commute easier and the air cleaner. Metro Transit is critical to attracting conventions and tourists to our region, according the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. More than 200,000 times a month, someone boards Metro Transit to get to school.

METRO NEEDS RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE FUNDING.

Metro's revenues from federal, state and local sources have been flat or declining for more than a decade, while the MetroLink and Call-A-Ride services have significantly grown to keep up with community demand. Over the last decade, Metro and regional leaders in Missouri have funded the system through a series of short-term revenue solutions and cost-cutting measures. A reliable, sustainable funding source will enable the region to operate, plan and build a transit system that will help the people in our communities prosper.