St. Louis County Council

On September 19, the St. Louis County Council voted 6 -1 to provide Metro with $47.4 million for the fiscal year that began July. The way the Post-Dispatch reported the story, the headline read: Metro Subsidy gets tentative ok."

Since by the same action county roads will receive approximately $35 million over the same period, the Post headline might very well have read, "County Highways subsidy gets tentative ok."

More on Dierberg's

I was told that Dierbergs was fearful of people parking on their lot and taking MetroLink.

Sales Tax Collections

Metro is funded by sales tax collections in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Clair County. In the City of St. Louis the Board of Alderman have routinely appropriated all the money collected from the 1974 half cent sales tax and the 1994 quarter-cent sales tax for MetroLink expansion. In St. Louis County, only about 58 percent of the money collected from the 1974 tax is appropriated by the County Council to Metro, the rest goes to roads. Part of the issues with Metro's funding is that the growth in sales tax revenue has been flat for years in the City and only growing very slow in St. Louis County. As an example in fiscal year 1997 the half cent sales tax collected in the city resulted in $17.1 million in collections. In 2006, the collections where slightly better at $17.5 million.

In the County the comparable figure is $65.1 million in 1997 and $76.7 million in 2006. In 1997, the county appropriated $33.5 million to Metro and in 2006, the number was $45.3 million. Metro should begin to pay dividends to both the city and county if the right land use decisions are made where by increased density is promoted around stations resulting in additional retail sales.

In Illinois, things are different. The sales tax receipts are collected by the St. Clair County Transit District. In turn the District, contracts with Metro for bus and rail service. Illinois MetroLink riders often ask why there are not additional trains beyond Emerson Park, the answer is St. Clair County has not contracted for that additional service.


Each month Metro produces a report on sales tax collections in the city and county. Through the first three months of the year, collections are funning 5.1 per cent ahead of last year in the county and 4.3 percent ahead in the city.

MetroLink Ridership

Ridership Numbers Continue to Climb on MetroLink
Numbers for the first week of MetroLink passenger service that includes the new Shrewsbury Branch are in. Here’s a comparison that looks at average daily ridership last August, actual ridership Monday, August 21st, and actual ridership August 28th through September 1st on MetroLink.
Average August Weekday 2005: 44, 133;

Actual Ridership August 29, 2006: 75, 876 Boardings *
Actual Ridership August 30, 2006: 75, 633 Boardings *
Actual Ridership August 31, 2006: 76, 421 Boardings *
Actual Ridership September 1, 2006: 80, 677 Boardings *

*Note: Data includes baseball game

“These early numbers are excellent, and we continue to be optimistic that we will become an attractive option for even more new riders,” says Ray Friem, Metro Senior Vice President of Transit Operations.

Friem also notes that bus ridership saw a 2,000 passenger jump the day the Shrewsbury Branch opened. “On an average day, MetroBus handles more than 108,000 boardings,” Friem notes. “On the first day of the new light rail service, MetroBus welcomed aboard 110,707 passengers. Early indications are that both bus and rail will benefit from the new MetroLink branch, and from the newly modified bus service.”

Based on research and public input, Metro significantly restructured its bus network over the last several months. The changes expand the reach and frequency of bus service, and substantially enhance transit service for the St. Louis region. “We have added 160,000 service miles per year on our bus routes,” Friem notes. “MetroLink is the spine of our system. MetroBus allows us to extend our reach.”