All Aboard! St. Louis County Voters Approve Prop A, Overwhelming Support for Metro Transit Tax Increase

St. Louis County voters voiced their strong support for mass transit in the St. Louis region, approving a 0.5% sales tax increase to support Metro operations and possible future expansion. The approval of Prop A means that a like sales tax of 0.25% approved by St. Louis City voters will go into effect. The approval of Prop A means that for the first time in Metro history, the transit agency has a substantial, dedicated local funding source. Local funding support is often determinative in federal transit funding decisions. Metro will begin resumption of bus routes eliminated during the most recent round of cutbacks soon.

There are many deserving of congratulations and Citizens for Modern Transit leads the way. Executive Director Tom Shrout fully committed CMT to the Prop A effort and while many people and factors contributed to the ultimate success, CMT led the way by building a case for support and creating a network of influential and hard working supports. Of course the work continues. Click here to learn how you can join CMT's ongoing efforts.

Now that Metro has a stable funding source what changes should we expect? First, service to more than 2,000 Metro bus stops cut in March 2009 is scheduled to be restored beginning in June. MetroLink lead times, the wait between trains, will likely be reduced back to 10 minutes, down from the current 15 minutes, and third, Call-A-Ride service will be restored. Call-A-Ride primarily serves the elderly and disabled who do not have access to other means of transportation.