Minnesota Senate Bill SF677

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/27/25
• Refer: 1/27/25

Caption

Metropolitan Council publishing of monthly ridership numbers and quarterly crime statistics requirement provision

Summary

SF 677 requires the Metropolitan Council to publish two recurring public reports on its website. First, it must post a monthly report showing ridership statistics for each guideway and busway in revenue operation, and it must include the ridership projections that were made when the full funding grant agreement was executed for each project. These monthly reports must be posted within 60 days after the end of each month and remain available online for at least five years. Second, the bill requires the council to post a quarterly report on transit-related crime statistics. The report must cover crimes occurring on light rail vehicles, buses, commuter rail cars, and at transit platforms, stops, or facilities, and it must break the data down by mode of transit and by type of crime. Like the ridership reports, these crime reports must remain available on the council’s website for at least five years.

Impact

The bill would add a new public reporting mandate to the Metropolitan Council’s duties, increasing transparency requirements for Minnesota transit operations. It does not change fare policy, policing authority, or criminal penalties, but it does require the council to collect, organize, and publish ridership and crime data on a regular schedule and retain those records online for an extended period. The practical effect is to create a continuing statutory obligation affecting the council, transit riders, and policymakers who rely on transit performance and safety data.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available legislative context, the measure appears to be framed as a transparency and accountability bill rather than a controversial policy overhaul. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition in the materials supplied. The bill’s structure suggests an interest in making transit performance and safety information more visible to the public and legislators.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the requirement to publish crime statistics by transit mode and location, which may raise concerns about how the data is interpreted, whether it could discourage transit use, or whether it places additional administrative burdens on the Metropolitan Council. Another possible issue is the inclusion of ridership projections from full funding grant agreements, which could invite comparisons between projected and actual performance and scrutiny of past planning assumptions. No specific opposing or supporting viewpoints are included in the provided transcripts or votes.