MN: Reader fears Link will lead to fewer bus options in Rochester

Dear Answer Man: How much of the decline in ridership for Rochester Public Transit is due to the increased number of Mayo Clinic buses running to multiple Mayo Clinic employee parking lots and work sites around the city? With the planned expansion of Mayo Clinic employee parking — particularly the Link Transit program that will run from west of Highway 52 along Second Street — I fear the decline for Rochester Public Transit will accelerate. Rochester needs public buses. — Mass Transit Mary.

Dear Mary,

While my old jalopy tends to get me where I'm going, I agree that Rochester needs public transportation. Whether it's people getting to work, going to the store or just visiting friends and family, there are plenty of folks who need the convenience of buses.

Heck, on really cold Minnesota days, the buses even serve as a place for folks to stay warm. Honestly, give me a book to read and a comfy bus seat, and I'd be happy for hours.

Here's the good news: Link and other Mayo Clinic park-and-ride programs do not seem to have an adverse effect on bus routes or ridership. In fact, they help bolster Rochester Public Transit.

As Answer Man often does, I reached out to helpful city of Rochester Spokeswoman Megan Moeller. Here's the information she got responded with after a chat with the folks at the transit department.

First, anyone who takes the park-and-ride shuttle — other than veterans — pays one way or another for their ride, Moeller said. If you see Mayo employees getting on the bus and not paying, then it's Mayo Clinic itself — those rides are recorded, and Mayo Clinic is invoiced for the fares — paying for its employees to take the bus.

Furthermore, Moeller said, fare revenue is one of RPT's primary funding sources, along with advertising revenue, most commonly generated through bus wraps.

For the record, most of those bus wraps Answer Man sees are Mayo Clinic ads, meaning Mayo Clinic is, once again, supporting public transportation.

In fact, Moeller said RPT's funding comes through a combination of fare revenue, advertising, state and federal grants, and apportionments from MnDOT and the Federal Transit Administration.

"Currently, approximately 85% of operating costs are supported by these grants, while roughly 80% of capital improvement costs, such as bus and vehicle purchases, are grant-funded," Moeller said. "Rochester Public Transit does not rely on local property tax levies or the city's general fund for its operations."

So, more Mayo riders — paid for by Mayo Clinic — the better for RPT.

Moeller added that, like transit systems nationwide, RPT saw a decline in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"More recently, ridership has begun to rebound, with an increase observed between 2024 and 2025," she said. "In the most recent full year, Rochester Public Transit provided nearly 670,000 rides."

As for how Link will fit in once the new West Transit Village and bus routes become operational, Moeller said Mayo Clinic will support the operating costs of Link, and — for now — no City of Rochester general fund dollars will be used to operate Link.

"Link is designed to complement and integrate into the fixed route system, not replace it or hinder it," Moeller said. "The service focuses on a high-frequency, high-demand corridor and is expected to improve overall system efficiency by better matching service levels to rider needs."

The hope is that Link — which will be fare-free thanks to that Mayo Clinic support — will get more people comfortable with the idea of navigating Rochester via buses, "strengthening connections across the broader transit network, rather than drawing riders away from other routes."

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