NextStop Blog

Transit is an integral part of a vibrant region, its economy, and its culture. Transportation plays an important role in the community, impacting everything from mobility to economic development, job creation, social justice, tourism, real estate development and redevelopment, livability, sustainability…we could go on, but you get the point.

NextStop, the sponsored blog of Metro, is intended to facilitate better communication with the people that we serve. By starting this blog, our intention is provide an easy way for people to get an insider’s look at Metro, become more aware of regional and national transportation-related issues, and have a voice in how transit operates in the region. We also hope to become the focal point for a community of transit users and supporters. We believe very strongly in increased transparency and community involvement, and under the leadership of Bob Baer, we have created this blog as a tool to help illuminate Metro – how we function, why we do the things we do, and our ideas for improving the agency, the transit system, and the region.

Have you ever wondered what a bus wash looks like, or how bus routes are designed? Have you noticed sidewalk and curb improvements near bus stops, and wondered who is responsible? Have you heard about new light rail systems in other communities, and wondered how we might incorporate some of their good ideas? Are you interested in regional planning, urban design, or bike paths? NextStop is the place for you.

You will notice that not all of the blog content will be strictly related to Metro or St. Louis. While transit is a highly local concern, transit issues have become a part of the national conversation. Many of the challenges we face at Metro are shared by other transit agencies all over the country. By examining how other agencies deal with similar issues, we hope to help emulate successes and minimize missteps.

We want to hear from you. Our comments section is the place to respond to the articles we post here. We want you to share your ideas about how to improve our current system, your questions about how things function, and your input into how we do business, our projects and upgrades, and future plans.

Thank you for reading and we look forward to future conversations! If you have any feedback on the blog we encourage you to contact us or comment on the appropriate posts.