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State of SWT

State of SouthWest Transit

SouthWest Transit (SWT) is the fastest growing transit agency in Minnesota according to 2025 NTD reports! We serve the southwest Twin Cities and operate under a joint powers agreement between Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, and Chaska. We also serve Carver, Victoria, Edina and parts of Shakopee. In 2026, we are celebrating 40 years of service to our community! 

Service and Ridership Overview 

  • In 2025, our riders took 614,062 trips – a 14.16% increase over the previous year 
  • Growth was primarily driven by trips on our regularly scheduled bus routes, which saw an increase of 24.6% 

 

New Services and Innovations in 2025 

  • The 686 Route 
    • Was used 59.78% more than the service it replaced 
    • 686L: provides access along the I-494 corridor, including local businesses and employment areas 
    • 686X: provides direct service from SouthWest Station (Eden Prairie) to MSP Airport and the Mall of America (MOA) 
  • SW Prime Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Zone – the first AV service in the Twin Cities 
    • Part of our microtransit service (SW Prime) 
    • Was used 144.11% more than the service that came before 
  • Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) made their debut, making us the third transit agency in the U.S. to implement this technology, improving real-time service planning and ridership tracking 

 

Rider and Community Surveys 

  • Rider surveys show 96-98% satisfaction across our services 
  • Community surveys show 61% positive vs. 14% negative perception of SWT 

 

Economic Opportunity & Connections 

  • 71.6% of commuter bus trips are to work 
  • 46% of SW Prime (microtransit) trip purposes are for work 

 

Financial Stewardship and Operations 

  • Our subsidy per trip on bus service is 22% lower than regional alternatives ($12.07 vs. $15.42) 
  • Overhead costs are 25%, compared to 25% and 33% for regional alternatives 

 

Planning and Community Engagement 

  • We completed the Carver County Mobility Study, with results to be released in 2026 
  • Community engagement initiatives, including the Wrap-A-Bus design contest, connected local youth to our services 
  • We continue to coordinate with riders, cities, and regional partners on service planning