Good Question: 'Reply All': Bus Routes & Mattress Tags
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Kacey Gregerson in Brooklyn Park submitted this Good Question: How do the bus routes get their names?
It may seem random, Kacey, but Metro Transit has a system.
Here are the highlights:
Local Minneapolis routes are 1 to 49.
Limited-stop routes in Minneapolis or Saint Paul are in the range of 50 to 59.
Local St. Paul: 60 to 93.
The 100 series of routes is a mix:
110s are Metro Transit-operated routes that serve the U of M.
120s are U of M-operated routes (Circulators and Campus Connector).
130s and 140s are downtown commuter routes that are only on the freeway for a short time.
94 and 150-199 are Express Routes primarily operating in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Suburban routes are generally 3-digit numbers, 200 and above. The first digit indicates the part of the region that is served, and the second two digits indicate the type of route, with numbers under 50 being local routes and numbers over 50 being express routes (generally these run on the freeway).
200-series routes are from the northeast metro.
300-series routes are from the east metro.
400-series routes are from the south/southeast metro.
500-series routes are from the south metro.
600-series routes are from the southwest and west metro.
700-series routes are from the northwest metro.
800-series routes are from the north metro.
Finally, 900 series routes tend to be special routes, like State Fair service.
Alright, Kacey. I think you now have all the info you need to hop on the bus with confidence!
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And here's another Good Question, this time from Leah in Minnetonka: Why can't we tear off mattress tags?
Well, Leah - you can certainly remove a mattress tag. The tag specifically says that the tag may not be removed except by the consumer!
The reason for the tag is that in the turn of the century, mattresses were stuffed with horse hair, corn husks, food waste, old rags, newspaper and whatever else.
The government required a tag that required ingredients, which led to shady manufacturers ripping off the tag. So the government countered with a new law which prohibited tag-ripping-off.
