by Shane Hampton

Created on: January 15, 2009   Last Updated: January 24, 2009

Each year in the St. Louis area, 53 million rides are taken on public transportation routes managed by Metro, the regional transit authority. Metro offers several transportation options that make it easy to get around the metropolitan area without a car, including MetroBus, MetroLink, and Metro Call-A-Ride. These three services provide access to 200 municipalities within the jurisdiction of the Metro authority.

The most expansive service of Metro is the bus system. MetroBus operates more than 400 bus vehicles on 75 routes throughout the St. Louis region. The bus system is in operation nearly 24 hours a day, but check individual schedules (see links at end of article) before you plan to board a bus. The basic adult fare for a bus ride is $2, with a $1 discount rate for seniors, children, and disabled passengers. A transfer ticket, which allows transfer to MetroLink, is $2.75 for adults and $1.35 at the discount rate.

All MetroBus routes are designed and oriented to feed passengers into the MetroLink light rail system, so the routing and timing will make it convenient to transfer from bus to light rail. In addition, about 9,000 parking spaces are available at 18 park-and-ride locations at MetroLink stations, so it is easy to drive to the train stations. If you are a biker, all MetroBuses have bike racks on the front of the bus, which are available to use free of charge. When you get off, make sure you let the bus driver know that you will be removing your bike.

St. Louis also has a network of light rail trains. With 37 stations spanning almost fifty miles, MetroLink is the ninth longest light rail system in the country. Almost 70,000 daily rides are recorded, so it is also the ninth busiest rail system in the nation. The system is in operation from around 4:00 AM to 12:30 AM. A single-ride ticket is $2.25 for adults, $1.10 discounted, and a two-hour pass is available for $2.75 or $1.35. if you will be using transit for extended periods, one-day, weekly, and monthly passes are available. All ticket types can be purchased at electronic kiosks at each station.

Two major rail lines, red and blue, make up the MetroLink system. The Red Line Starts at Lambert Airport, passes through the University of Missouri St. Louis and the inner city, and continues into Illinois to the Shiloh-Scott Air Force Base. The Blue Line starts at Shrewsbury and passes through Clayton before converging with the Red Line at Forest Park to pass through the inner city. Inner city stops include the

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