SouthWest Transit

Receives Management Innovation Award

The Minnesota Public Transit Association (MPTA) has awarded SouthWest Transit its Management Innovation Award in recognition of its “Park-Out” program. This program reduces fuel and maintenance costs without reducing service hours for riders.

Eden Prairie Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens presented the award stating, “When you think of innovation, you tend to think of major advancements like internet or even the computer itself. However, innovation comes in many forms and doesn’t always carry such a big splash. Many times it’s the smaller less known innovations that make a major difference in the success of an organization.”

The “Park-Out” program began a few years ago as fuel prices suddenly began to rise and consume more and more of the agency’s operating budget. The operating staff at SouthWest Transit looked at ways to reduce fuel consumption without reducing service to riders.

Like most suburban transit systems, the vast majority of SWT ridership uses the service to go to and from work in downtown Minneapolis during the peak hours of the day.

Because of this, the majority of the SWT fleet ends its AM service with a long deadhead run (carrying no passengers) back to the garage in Eden Prairie, followed by a long PM deadhead to begin the afternoon peak hour service.  With most routes exceeding 25 miles one-way, a lot of fuel is consumed during this deadhead process.

The “Park-Out” keeps buses close to the downtown after the AM peak so instead of bringing all the buses back to the garage, the drivers are shuttled back and forth.

At first an arrangement was made with the Minnesota State Fair to use one of their lots, and then in June 2010, an agreement was struck with the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to park buses at the Metrodome, a location closer to the start and end of downtown Minneapolis service.

“Since the inception of this program, we have averaged approximately $165,000 in fuel savings per year, all while not reducing any service to our riders,” said Len Simich, SouthWest Transit CEO. He added, “With budgets continuing to be a challenge, cost saving measures like SouthWest’s ‘Park-Out’ program are needed now more than ever.”