SouthWest Transit’s new bus route between EP and MSP begins Monday

Starting Monday, March 31, people in the western suburbs will have another option to get to the airport and other stops along Interstate 494 as SouthWest Transit’s new bus route begins running between Eden Prairie’s SouthWest Station and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The new route, the 686, will offer both an express service and a local route. The Express 686X will stop only at SouthWest Station, Mall of America (MOA), and MSP Terminals 1 and 2. The Express 686X will run seven days a week. On weekdays, the 686X will run every hour from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., and every 45 minutes from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. On weekends, it will run every 45 minutes from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

The local route, 686L, will make 17 stops, including SouthWest Station, MOA and both terminals at MSP. It will run hourly between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Its stops include office, shopping, and hotel destinations. Among them are a stop at American Boulevard West and Normandale Lake Boulevard for Normandale Office Park, a stop at American Boulevard and Lyndale Avenue South for the Shops at Lyndale, and a stop at the La Quinta Inn on American Boulevard West. 

Standard fare at all times for the 686L will be $2, while the standard fare for the Express 686X will be $3.25 during peak hours – 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. At other times, standard fare for the Express 686X will drop to $2.50.

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Discounts for children ages 6 to 12, people age 65 or older, and people with disabilities apply at all times. Disabled veterans with ID and children 5 and under ride free at all times. (There is a limit of three free fares for children 5 and under, and they must be accompanied by a fare-paying rider.)

People can pay their fares with exact cash, transit passes, or transfer passes from other local bus or rail service providers. 

Currently, eastbound departure times for the Local 686L from SouthWest Station are scheduled for times close to the top of the hour, with Express 686X eastbound departures from SouthWest Station scheduled at times close to the half hour. Westbound departures, returning to Eden Prairie, will operate during the same hours of operation. Check the 686 schedule on SouthWest Transit’s website for specific times and any updates.

Airport parking at SouthWest Station; transfers to metro transit options

People using the new SouthWest Transit route to travel to the airport will be able to park their personal vehicle overnight on the fourth floor of the SouthWest Station parking ramp for up to 21 nights, for a fee of $5 per night. The 686 buses will have racks to hold airport passengers’ luggage. The MSP drop-off points for passengers will be at the Terminal 1 transit station and the Terminal 2 ground transportation area.   

The Local 686L, SouthWest Transit Community Engagement Coordinator Amira Eromosele said in an informational webinar, is largely intended to serve commuters and people who work along the I-494 corridor. According to Kate Meredith, vice president of Commuter Services, there are more jobs in this section of the I-494 corridor than anywhere else in the state, including both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. 

Commuter Services is the outreach program of the I-494 Corridor Commission, a joint powers organization established in 1986 to address concerns about increasing traffic congestion along the I-494 corridor. Member cities include Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Edina, Minnetonka, and Richfield. 

Some stops along the 686L local route will be shared stops with Metro Transit, Eromosele said, allowing people to transfer from SouthWest Transit to other buses to reach more Twin Cities destinations. Commuter Services offers free personalized travel itineraries.

“The customized itinerary will show you, step-by-step, the bus stops and step-by-step instructions for how to make that transfer,” Meredith said. 

The new bus route means the end is in sight for the on-demand SW Prime Airport service that SouthWest Transit has offered. SW Prime Airport will end April 26. The general on-demand SW Prime service – from riders’ current locations to destinations within SouthWest Transit’s service area – will continue. For instance, Eromosele said, someone could use the on-demand SW Prime, priced at $5, to get a ride to SouthWest Station, then transfer for free to the 686 route to reach MSP airport. 

SW Transit to celebrate route launch, contest winners

The new 686 route is named in honor of 1986, the year SouthWest Transit was founded. In celebration of the new route, SouthWest Transit held a design contest for youth ages 11 to 18. Artists in that age range who live in or attend school in SouthWest Transit’s service area – Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Chaska, Carver, or Victoria – were invited to submit original artwork for a bus wrap, an advertisement that covers the entire vehicle.

Buses wrapped in the winning designs, and contest winners Brandon Peña-Stack and Ben Lenius, will be on hand at a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by SouthWest Transit on the day of the new route’s launch. The public is invited to the 4 p.m. event on March 31 at SouthWest Station, 13500 Technology Drive.

Peña-Stack, of Eden Prairie, was the winner in the contest’s 11-to-14 age division, with a design that took inspiration from the new Minnesota state flag and blended its symbols with SouthWest Transit’s signature colors. Peña-Stack said he attempted to make a timeless design and that he “felt that the state flag could give us a better sense of state pride and showcase support for the state of Minnesota.”

Lenius, of Chaska, was the winner in the 15-to-18 age group. His design features Minnesota’s state bee, the rusty patched bumblebee, in a nature scene. “In the past 25 years, their population has declined by approximately 90%,” Lenius said. “I designed this artwork to call attention to this urgent issue, as well as to offer an artistic and aesthetically pleasing piece that would bring happiness to thousands of people every single day.”

“SouthWest Transit is here for the community, and this contest gave local youth a chance to put their mark on something seen by thousands of people every day,” said CEO Erik Hansen. “We’re proud to feature Ben and Brandon’s artwork on our buses and look forward to everyone seeing them firsthand.”