Burnsville Could Lose Its Entire Transit System
TLDR
There's a bill at the Capitol that could shut down MVTA — the bus system Burnsville uses — and hand it all to Metro Transit.
If that happens, Connect (the $3 app-based ride service) would likely disappear.
The bill is based on a report that used old, misleading data. Council members are pushing back hard.
MVTA wants you to contact the governor's office and your legislators right now.
You know that $3 bus you can call from your phone to get to work? The one that picks you up at your door? There's a bill at the Minnesota Capitol right now that could kill it.
Here's what's going on — and why Burnsville's city council got so fired up about it Tuesday night.
OK, So What Is MVTA?
Quick background if you're new here. MVTA stands for Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. It's the bus system that serves Burnsville, Apple Valley, Eagan, Rosemount, Savage, Prior Lake, and Shakopee.
It's separate from Metro Transit — which runs buses and light rail in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Back in the late 1980s, these south metro cities decided Metro Transit wasn't giving them good enough service. So they opted out and created their own system.
That's MVTA. It runs express buses to downtown, local routes, event buses to the State Fair and Vikings games, and — the big one — MVTA Connect. That's the app-based ride service where you book a pickup on your phone for $3.
What's This Bill?
A bill passed the House Transportation Committee on March 11. If it becomes law, it would shut down MVTA and three other suburban transit agencies. Metro Transit would take over everything starting July 2027.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Jon Koznick from Lakeville. It's now sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee — but no hearing has been scheduled.
On the Senate side, the companion bill started with multiple authors. Four have since dropped off. Only Senator Hoffman is left. No Senate hearing is scheduled either.
So it's not a done deal. But it's not dead.
Why Are They Doing This?
It comes down to a report.
Last year, the Metropolitan Council (the regional government body) put out a report looking at transit routes with high subsidies — meaning routes where the cost per rider is really high.
The report singled out 28 routes. Eighteen of them were MVTA routes. One route — Route 498 — was flagged as costing $200 per rider. Supporters of the bill say this proves suburban transit agencies are wasting money.
Here's the problem: that report is misleading. And MVTA's Executive Director Luther Wynder walked the council through exactly why.
What's Wrong With the Report?
A lot, actually. Here's the short version:
The data is old. The report used numbers from 2023 and 2024. That's right in the middle of COVID recovery, when ridership was down everywhere — not just MVTA.
The "$200 route" was a test. Route 498 was a three-year pilot program, funded 80% by the federal government. It was designed to serve the Golden Triangle area while the Southwest light rail was delayed. When the funding ran out, MVTA canceled it. The report made it look like it's still running. It's not.
It ignores canceled routes. A bunch of the "high subsidy" routes on the list have already been eliminated or restructured. The report doesn't mention that.
It doesn't count private funding. Some MVTA routes are 100% funded by private employers. The report just shows cost vs. ridership — making it look like all of it is taxpayer money. It's not.
Light rail gets a pass. The report says light rail costs about $2.75 per rider. But that doesn't include the billions it cost to build the tracks and stations. If it did, the per-rider cost would be way higher.
MVTA wasn't invited to respond. When the report was presented to the committee, MVTA wasn't asked to testify. By the time a vote came up, each person got one minute to speak. That's not enough time to correct a misleading report.
What Did Burnsville's Council Say?
They didn't hold back.
Council Member Schultz called the potential replacement service — and we're quoting the meeting here — more expensive and worse than what Burnsville has now. She told residents to go straight to the governor's office.
Council Member Keely has been involved in this fight for years. He pointed out that the report cherry-picks bad data, ignores context, and that nobody on the committee seems to understand why suburban transit agencies were created in the first place.
Council Member Gustafson brought up the pandemic. Metro Transit shut down the Kenrick Trail park and ride for two and a half years. Riders south of Burnsville had to drive to Apple Valley or Burnsville to catch a bus. MVTA? They kept their stations open.
One more thing that came up: legislators have described MVTA's buses as "really nice and clean" — almost like that's a bad thing. But here's the kicker. Those buses are owned by the Met Council. MVTA just takes care of them. The difference isn't the equipment. It's the management.
What Would You Actually Lose?
Let's make this really concrete.
MVTA Connect today:
$3 per ride
Book on your phone whenever you need it
Get picked up at your door
389 rides per day in the Burnsville zone
65% of riders use it to get to work
48% of riders earn under $25,000/year
What would replace it (Transit Link):
$3.50 base / $4.50 during peak hours
Plus 75 cents for every 15 miles
You have to book a day in advance
More trips get denied
For someone making $25,000 a year and riding to work five days a week, that price difference adds up fast. And having to plan your ride a day ahead? That's not how life works for a lot of people.
The bill only guarantees existing MVTA service for one year after a takeover. After that, Burnsville would have to compete with every other suburb for Metro Transit resources. That's exactly the situation that made cities create MVTA in the first place almost 40 years ago.
What Can You Do?
If you want to keep MVTA, here's what council members are asking:
Send a support letter. Go to mvta.com and look for the support form. You put in your info and it sends a letter directly to your legislators.
Call the governor's office. Council Member Schultz specifically said this is the most important call you can make. Don't just contact your local rep — go to the top.
Show up. The next Burnsville City Council meeting is Tuesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. Council members said they want regular updates on this going forward.
The Bottom Line
Burnsville's transit system is having one of its best years ever. Connect ridership is up 37%. Express routes are up 10%. Electric buses are saving money. And the people who depend on it most — low-income workers, women, people with disabilities — are riding it more than ever.
But a handful of legislators want to hand it all to an agency that Burnsville council members say doesn't prioritize suburbs. The bill isn't moving fast right now. But it's not dead either. If you care about keeping the bus system you've got, now's the time to speak up.
FAQ
Wait, could Burnsville actually lose its bus system?
It's possible. A bill passed committee in the House that would make Metro Transit the only transit provider in the metro. It hasn't been scheduled for its next hearing yet, but council members warned people not to assume it's dead.
What happens to Connect if Metro Transit takes over?
Connect would most likely go away. The bill only guarantees one year of current service. After that, you'd use Transit Link instead — which costs more, requires booking a day ahead, and denies more rides.
Why does MVTA exist separately from Metro Transit?
In the late 1980s, south metro cities were paying into Metro Transit but getting bad service in return. State law let them opt out and run their own system. That's MVTA. It's been running for over 35 years.
Is the "$200 per rider" number real?
It's technically accurate for one specific route — but that route was a temporary federal pilot that MVTA already canceled. Using it to represent the whole system is misleading.
How do I send a support letter?
Go to mvta.com and find the support form. It generates a letter and sends it to your legislators. Council members also said calling the governor's office directly is the single most effective thing you can do.
