Green Line Go! App Launch

Download our new Transit App

for Students, Employees, and Residents

The Twin Cities is your home - exploring new locations along the Metro Green Line of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul is now easier than ever.

This innovative free app for your smartphone is brought to you by the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership, a public-private partnership of academic institutions and health care organizations located along the Central Corridor of the Twin Cities.

Integrated with Google Maps, users will be able to see a list of destinations within ¼ mile of any station.  Destinations include: restaurants and bars, attractions, coffee shops, fitness locations, and shopping venues.  

With students, employees, and residents in mind, the Green Line Go! app will provide you with the opportunity to explore neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities.

Metro Transit Expands Partnership with College Freshmen

General Manager Brian Lamb, Metro Transit

Building on past success in introducing many Augsburg College Freshman students to transit in 2015, Metro Transit is expanding the program beyond Augsburg to St. Catherine University, University of St. Thomas, and Bethel University

. 

"We are very interested in promoting transit as a lifestyle choice,"

 Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb explained. 

"We are grateful that the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership shares this commitment."

The Central Corridor Anchor Partnership is committed to boosting transit use by students and employees by 5% in five years.  Transit experts have identified new students as an important market segment to reach during a formative time of transition. 

Metro Transit has agreed to provide each incoming freshman student with a Go To card loaded with $10 as their student orientation begins.  The students will have the unique option to gain $20 more in value by adding $10 to their Go To card by October 15.

Vice President Doug Hennes, University of St. ThomasLast year, 190 students in the Augsburg College freshman class elected to load $10 onto their transit cards.  Metro Transit has also offered a further transit reward to those 190 students in the Sophomore year. 

University of St. Thomas Vice President Doug Hennes is excited about Metro Transit’s proposal. 

“We introduce transit to our visiting students and families, because the Green Line and other transit connect our students to tremendous amenities that the Twin Cities have to offer,” he explained.  “This move by Metro Transit will reinforce that message with our incoming students, and transit also has a place in our university discussions about sustainability.” 

Survey Results: Transit is Teachable

Augsburg College Freshmen clearly see transit in their future.  Ninety-six percent (96%) of respondents in a student survey said that they will continue to be transit users after participating in the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership’s  Go To card initiative with Metro Transit.

CCAP is committed to boosting transit use by students and employees by 5% in five years.  Metro Transit developed a pilot project with the Partnership to provide each Augsburg freshman a Go To card loaded with $20 at the beginning of student orientation, with the offer that students who loaded $10 on their card by October 1 would gain $45 more in value.  The Partnership set a goal of persuading 15% of the Freshman Class to spend $10 on their Go To cards, or 72 students.  By October 1, 146 students had signed on, more than double the goal. 

Whether new to public transit or veteran riders accustomed to paying cash for their trips, students reported inAugsburg student the survey that they loved the ease and convenience of using and re-loading the stored value Go-To Cards.  Metro Transit staff, CCAP, and Augsburg Vice President of Student Affairs Ann Garvey created the eleven question survey with contributions from Augsburg’s pilot program student interns Sulin Phat and Anisa Sharif.  The student interns played the key role of helping phrase questions to elicit honest, considerate responses from their peers. The resulting survey aimed to assess the core thoughts and decision making that contributed to student participation in the transit pilot program.

Teaching Transit

Augsburg studentAugsburg created its Augsburg Seminar Go-To Card Pilot Program to connect students with the local community via greater use of public transit. The college also aimed to familiarize students with public transit and establish a new generation of “transit natives” who would begin the habit of lifelong public transit use.

Many responded that peer-to-peer communication throughout the semester, on-campus efforts let by the pilot program’s student interns, and in-class reminders from professors touting the program all helped the pilot participants remember to use transit, and feel comfortable doing so.

Looking Ahead

One of the most important lessons learned is that integrating transit into the Freshman orientation curriculum creates many layers of benefit for students.  CCAP is hoping to build on this model by adding more college partners who are interested in taking a similar approach with their orientation programs.