MN: Rochester Public Transit to close RCTC park-and-ride

Rochester Public Transit is closing the Rochester Community and Technical College park-and-ride lot service on Aug. 1, due to "low utilization," the city announced in a press release on Thursday morning.

The city said the change is "part of RPT's ongoing commitment to the responsible allocation of resources and the enhancement of service across the broader transit system."

RPT Routes 203 and 204 will continue to serve the RCTC campus. Both routes will maintain their current frequency with buses stopping outside the main building every 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during off-peak times, the city release said.

The change also means RCTC students will no longer receive free rides on RPT buses, the college said in an announcement to students.

Nate Stoltman, executive director of communications, said in an email that RCTC students utilized the RPT buses for transportation to classes and to get downtown for clinical assignments. He added that while RPT offers student passes, the "price can still be a barrier when students do not have much if any extra income for transportation."

Stoltman said the college is purchasing a limited number of bus passes for "students who are in a considerable or emergent need for transportation." Students can apply for the passes through the campus resource office.

"The timing of this is far from ideal as it does not give our students much time to arrange other means of getting to campus. While we won't know how many students this decision will directly impact, we know that there have been thousands of rides on RPT buses by students," Stoltman said.

If current commuters who use the RCTC park-and-ride location would like to use another nearby park-and-ride, RPT is recommending the Fairgrounds Park and Ride located at S. Broadway Avenue and 14th Street Southwest.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality service, we continuously evaluate how our park-and-ride system meets the needs of our community," said Ia Xiong, the city's transit and parking director. "While we're consolidating service to three locations, we remain dedicated to our RCTC riders with frequent service on Routes 203 and 204. We encourage commuters to explore and take advantage of our other convenient park-and-ride options across the city."

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