Sidewalk Stories: Poet and Spoken-Word Artist Uses Residential Transit Pass to Get Around
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Local poet and spoken-word artist Anthony Thomas is a resident of Saint Paul’s Rondo neighborhood and a frequent transit rider. He is a renter and his property management company is participating in Metro Transit’s Residential Transit Pass Program pilot project.
The Residential Transit Pass program provides transit passes to residents at a discounted rate for properties who participate. It is gaining popularity among residential properties in Saint Paul. For Anthony, he’s getting to where he needs to go, with just a little more ease.
Hailing from Baltimore, Anthony credits the Twin Cities area as being an area where he gave himself a fresh start. The nickname of B-More not only pays homage to his hometown, but also his character in his quest to be and do more. “I like being out in the community,” he said. “There’s a multitude of things I use it for when I go out.”
He uses his pass to get everywhere. For example, “I go to the market with my transit pass, which is along the train line,” he said.
Residential Transit Pass brings supportive cost savings for developers, building owners, and residents. By offering this pass as a perk for tenants, it can help retain current residents and attract new ones. By making transit significantly more affordable, making passes easily available, and encouraging more people to get around by bus and train, it has potential benefits for tens of thousands of people in the Twin Cities metro.
Anthony recommended the Residential Transit Pass program to property managers. “If their tenants have some importance to them, the program can help their tenants,” he said. “And that can bolster better interaction.” For Anthony, the pass is a big economic benefit. “It’s tremendous,” he said. “It helps me because I don’t have a large budget. . . . It helps me use that particular money on travel to spend on other essentials.”
It’s clear that other residents value the program. It is common for Anthony to run into other residents on the way to the train or out in the community. “They’ll have a smile on their face and say, ‘I’m about to use the pass that I got’ and I’ll say the same,” he recalled. “With this pass, they’re able to go different places without having to worry about paying to get there.”
“With ease of access to transportation, [the Residential Transit Pass program] may partake in their decision on hurrying [or moving] from the property,” he emphasized.
For more information on how the Residential Transit Pass program works, see here.