A new on-call bus program is coming to town next week which will allow residents to travel within the city for $3.50.
The pilot program is called Transit Link On-Demand and will provide on-demand rides within Hastings city limits to residents on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting Feb. 2.
Rides can be booked using the Metro micro app or by calling 651-602-5465.
“Transit Link is public transit in Twin Cities communities where regular route transit is infrequent or unavailable,” according to a flyer for the new program from the Metropolitan Council.
While scheduled Transit Link already exists within Hastings, those rides must be booked in advance with rates depending on the length of the ride.
The new Transit Link On-Demand pilot program will allow residents to pay a flat $3.50 fee for transportation within city limits at a moment’s notice during the pilot program’s Monday and Wednesday hours.
The Transit Link bus can carry up to eight passengers and is accessible with lifts and for those who use mobility devices. The $3.50 fee can be paid with cash or via a Go-To Card, Metro Transit’s contactless smart card.
“It’s a good opportunity to see if it will work in Hastings,” said Dakota County Transportation Director Robyn Bernardy.
Bernardy’s role at Dakota County is to “reduce transportation barriers for people with disabilities and older adults.” While the focus is on those groups, what Bernardy has found is that “If you reduce [barriers] for those people, you often reduce the issue as a whole.”
The Transit Link On-Demand pilot program is a resurrection of sorts of the much-loved TRAC on-call bus program in Hastings which ran for decades before ending in 2010.
The TRAC program was shuttered in 2010 due to lack of funding for the program’s $400,000 annual price tag, $250,000 of which was paid by the Met Council.
While the current Transit Link program began that same year, it lacked the flexibility and spontaneity of the TRAC program. The void left many Hastings residents with few transportation options beyond driving.
Bernardy was unable to provide details about the timeline of the pilot program, nor its costs.
Hastings’ Met Council Representative Mark Jenkins did not respond to calls for comment.
While Hastings has several micro transit public transportation options like the DARTS bus and Smart Ride, regular trips across the city like for groceries and doctor’s appointments can be a difficult prospect for those without a car.
Part of Bernardy’s role at Dakota County is to inform and educate residents about available public transportation in their area.
“We can talk to people about whatever mode of public transportation they are using,” said Bernardy.
She encouraged residents to reach out to her directly if they had questions at robyn.bernardy@co.dakota.mn.us
Lack of public transportation in Hastings is not a new issue.
The City Council recently made moves to look into redeveloping the parking lot on Tyler Street and 3rd St E which was developed to be the final stop in the Red Rock Corridor, a bus line that would run from Hastings into the Twin Cities.
The route was severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered public transportation needs and habits irrevocably.
The scope and scale of the bus line was reworked in the years following the pandemic. Those reworked plans no longer include Hastings with a final stop expected to be in Cottage Grove.