Metro Transit Makes Getting to the State Fair Fast, Easy, Fun
The Minnesota State Fair is fast approaching, and Metro Transit makes getting there fast, easy and part of the fun.
Metro Transit will operate special State Fair Express service and regular-route buses to the Great Minnesota Get-Together, which begins Thursday, Aug. 25, and runs through Labor Day (Sept. 5). Customers who buy their State Fair Express ride by Aug. 24 receive a discount.
Save on advance-purchase tickets for bus rides
Normally, the round-trip fare for a State Fair Express bus is $5. Through Aug. 24, fairgoers can purchase a State Fair Bus Bargain Ticket for just $4. Tickets are sold only through the online store at metrotransit.org and at Metro Transit retail stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Those traveling with family and friends can buy a group ticket. Fairgoers get four round-trip rides for the price of three – just $15 – and receive one pass valid for four people traveling together. Individual and Group Bus Bargain Tickets cannot be purchased after Aug. 24. (Customers should allow two days for delivery when buying tickets online.)
Non-stop express service
Metro Transit will operate State Fair Express service each day of the fair from 11 park-and-ride lots. Non-stop State Fair Express buses operate between 8 a.m. and midnight and speed past congestion on bus-only shoulders and bus-only roads near the fairgrounds to get customers there faster.
Maps, details and an Express lot finder are available at metrotransit.org/statefair.
Service is offered every 15 minutes from these six park-and-ride lots:
- Northtown Mall – Blaine
- Brookdale Square – Brooklyn Center
- I-394 & County Road 73 Park & Ride – Minnetonka
- Dunwoody College of Technology – downtown Minneapolis
- Southdale Shopping Center – Edina
- Bloomington – across 24th Avenue from Mall of America’s East parking ramp
Service is offered every 30 minutes from these four locations:
- Marcus Oakdale Cinema – south of I-694 on Hadley Avenue North (Oakdale Center is not available due to construction)
- Signal Hills Shopping Center – West St. Paul
- Cottage Grove Park & Ride lot – Highway 61 and West Point Douglas Road
- Maplewood Mall – southwest corner of Beam and Southlawn
On weekends and Labor Day only, service is available every half hour from Maple Grove Transit Station on I-94 and Hemlock Lane.
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority and SouthWest Transit also will operate express service to the State Fair.
The walk-up, round-trip fare for express buses, which is payable in bills or coins when boarding at express sites, is $5 per person. Children age four and under ride free. Go-To Cards, Metropasses, SuperSavers, U-Passes, College Passes, Student Passes, coupons and transfers are not valid on State Fair Express service.
Regular-route service
Three regular-service routes serve the State Fairgrounds. Route 960 travels between downtown Minneapolis and the fairgrounds in about 15 minutes. Fairgoers can hop on Route 960 anywhere along Nicollet Mall. Buses operate to and from the fairgrounds roughly every 15 minutes daily.
Routes 3 and 84 also serve the State Fair. Route 3 travels between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul via Como Avenue on the south side of the fairgrounds; Route 84 travels between the Hiawatha Line’s 46th Street Station and Rosedale on Snelling Avenue, on the east side of the fairgrounds.
The one-way fare for regular-route buses during non-rush hours is $1.75 for adults and 75 cents for children, seniors and Medicare cardholders with proper identification. During rush hours, all customers pay $2.25, except certified Mobility customers who ride for 75 cents at any time when they present required ID. Go-To Cards, Metropasses, SuperSavers, U-Passes, College Passes, Students Passes, coupons and transfers are valid for regular-route buses.
Detailed State Fair bus service information is available at 612-373-3333, and at metrotransit.org/statefair.
MVTA State Fair Bus Information
