A New Bus Line: Hope and Challenges for South Minneapolis

A new bus route is about to start in south Minneapolis. The E-Line will take over from the old Route 6. It will run from Southdale to the University of Minnesota. Metro Transit hopes 3, 000 people will use it every day. Business owners in the area have mixed feelings. Victoria Ford owns a bookstore called "Comma, A Bookshop" in Linden Hills. She is happy the construction is over. She hopes more customers will come to her store now that the new bus line is ready. The E-Line promises faster and more frequent service. It will have fewer stops and better bus shelters. These shelters will have heat, lights, cameras, and real-time bus information. The project has been in the works since 2018. Last year, construction caused road closures and detours. This hurt many businesses. Some lost up to 60% of their customers. The 50th and France Business Association says customers are slowly returning. They are hopeful the new bus line will bring even more people to the area. Rebecca Sorensen, the Executive Director of the 50th & France Business Association, said the construction was tough. But she believes the new bus line will be good for the community. Victoria Ford also sees the benefits. She thinks the bus line will help people move around the city without cars. This could mean more foot traffic for stores like hers.