The Minnesota Public Transit Association (MPTA) awarded its annual Management Innovation Award to the Minneapolis/St. Paul METRO Red Line bus rapid transit (BRT) project as an example of a creative partnership designed to address the needs of transit users.

The launch of the METRO Red Line involved policy direction, planning, funding and operational support from the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA), the Metropolitan Council, Dakota County and Metro Transit.

In its announcement of the Red Line award, MPTA noted the innovative collaboration, saying it provided “important groundwork for other BRT services in the region and the state of Minnesota that may be developed.”

The METRO Red Line provides station-to-station BRT service along Cedar Avenue and Highway 77 in the southeast metro to five stations between Apple Valley Transit Station and the Mall of America. It is the first frequent, seven-day-a-week, all-day service in this corridor. It is also the second line in the region’s METRO system, having joined the METRO Blue Line light rail system in June 2013.

The MPTA is a statewide organization representing transit systems and riders. It has worked since 1975 to assist transit systems, advocate for funding and educate the public and policymakers about transit issues.