MVTA reports Strong Ridership Growth in 2025
Jan 12, 2026 1:35 pm
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) recorded significant ridership gains in 2025. Total ridership reached 1,538,182 trips in 2025, an increase of 7.8 percent over 2024, reflecting strong demand across fixed-route and on-demand services.
“MVTA’s ridership growth is a direct result of focusing on what our customers need and how they travel today,” said Luther Wynder, MVTA Chief Executive Officer. “These gains demonstrate that when service is reliable, responsive, and thoughtfully designed, people choose transit.”
Fixed Route Ridership
Fixed-route service accounted for the majority of MVTA’s growth, with 1,114,548 trips in 2025, up 6.1 percent from 2024. This represents an acceleration from the previous year’s growth rate of 3.7 percent.
Express ridership increased by 10.4 percent, reflecting evolving commuter patterns and renewed demand for commuters to downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul and regional connections.
MVTA Connect
MVTA’s on-demand microtransit service, MVTA Connect, continued to see strong growth in 2025. December ridership totaled 18,046 trips, bringing the annual total to 211,818 trips, an increase of 33.7 percent over 2024.
“MVTA Connect’s continued growth highlights how flexible, on-demand service plays an important role in meeting a wide range of customer needs,” said Matt Fyten, MVTA Chief Development Officer. “We are using this data and customer feedback to continually refine our services and ensure we are delivering the most efficient and effective transit possible.”
Spring Service Changes
As MVTA prepares for its Spring 2026 Service Change, the agency will use ridership trends, customer feedback, and performance data to adjust service and ensure resources are deployed in the most efficient manner. The goal is to maintain strong service where demand is growing while making thoughtful adjustments that reflect changing travel patterns across the south metro.
“Our approach is data-driven and customer-focused,” Wynder added. “We will continue to evolve our system to support ridership growth, improve efficiency, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.”
Public outreach on proposed spring service changes is ongoing and has provided opportunities for riders and community members to provide feedback before final decisions are made. Spring service change information is available at mvta.com/springchanges.
For more information about MVTA services, call MVTA Customer Service at 951-882-7500.
