NextStop Blog

Passengers like Curtis depend on Metro transit to get to work, school and other important destinations. We hope you enjoy his story, and we’re interested in your transit story too. Email mrhibbard@bistatedev.org, and we may share your story in a future “Passenger Profile.”

Before Curtis first stepped on board MetroLink four years ago, he made sure to weigh the cost-benefits before putting his transit commute into action.

“I looked at the monthly cost of Metro and the monthly cost of parking at a garage, and they were about the same,” he said. “So, I thought I’d take the route that led to less stress, which was riding the train rather than sitting in traffic.”

Curtis’ stress-free commute starts by parking his car at the free Park-Ride lot at the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station and hopping on a westbound MetroLink train. From there, he rides to the Convention Center MetroLink Station, where work is just across the street.

In addition to using MetroLink to get to and from work each day of the week, Curtis also uses it to travel downtown and get to baseball games.

While getting from Point A to Point B is the main reason Curtis chooses Metro, riding the train allows him to enjoy several additional benefits.

“It gives me a chance to decompress coming home from work, so when I come home to my family I’m ready to be the full-time dad again,” he said. “And, it gives me a chance to prepare for work.”

And, if Curtis ever needs to remember why he made the switch to transit, all he has to do is look out the window.

“I see all of the traffic lined up and realize that I’m not sitting there stressed out because of it,” he said.