Maple Grove Transit To Have Express Bus Service To Downtown Hubs

MAPLE GROVE, MN —The Maple Grove City Council on Wednesday approved Maple Grove Transit's (MGT) new express bus service, Route 784, which will serve several downtown Minneapolis employment hubs like Wells Fargo, Thrivent Financial and U.S. Bank Stadium.

The city said the new route, which also will service Hennepin County Medical Center and the Mills District, is expected to begin on August 22.

According to Maple Grove, the current MGT express routes serving downtown Minneapolis require commuters to walk six to eight blocks to reach these hubs.

The city said the MGT has received numerous requests in recent years to operate an express bus route serving the eastern part of downtown.

However, prior to the pandemic, "ridership demand and operations logistics" did not allow the MGT to expand its services, according to a spokesman for the agency.

That no longer is the case thanks to changes in mobility habits and patterns brought on by the pandemic, which saw the MGT suspend Routes 780, 782 and 783.

"MGT has the resources and flexibility to create a new route to serve the eastern part of downtown Minneapolis," the agency said in a statement. "The continued suspension of Routes 780, 782 and 783 has helped to provide financial and operational flexibility to start a new route."

The new route would originate at the Maple Grove Transit Station and have six inbound and six outbound express routes per day, the MGT said. The busses will operate about every 30 minutes during peak periods, according to the proposed schedule.

"We are excited to serve a new part of downtown. It will serve quite a few people," Transit Administrator Mike Opatz told the Star Tribune.

To accomplish the proposed service change, the MGT said it would restructure Route 781 trips in terms of trip times and total number of trips. The agency still will run Route 785 and Route 789 trips, but Routes 780, 782 and 782 will remain suspended.