06/18/2026
Serena Swenson, a recent planning and design intern, uses transit here and whenever she travels, collecting transit cards whenever she travels. Here, she talks about how she gets around and why she chooses to use transit.
🚍 How do you generally get around?
I live in south Minneapolis so for my commutes I usually take the 17 or 18 and then transfer to the C Line or D Line downtown. Outside of that, I like to check out local coffee shops or bookstores and will take a variety of routes to get wherever I need to go.
When I was a student at the U of M, I'd take the 2 to and from campus every day, and my roommates and I would take the Green Line to get groceries. It was nice having a Universal Transit Pass as a student.
🚍 Why do you choose to use transit?
I love how convenient and sustainable it is, not having to worry about car problems, and getting to know the city. I also like to be able to read, listen to music, and enjoy the view on my commute.
🚍 What advice do you have for people who are unsure about taking transit?
I encourage you to use your choice of maps or the Transit app to see if you can replace any of your daily trips with transit. Transit app is nice because you can see various route options and when to leave to catch the bus or train.
🚍 Have you used transit elsewhere?
When visiting other cities, I would much rather get to know the local transit system than have to pay for a rideshare service. I love seeing the similarities and differences in transit systems and collecting unique transit cards. When I was studying abroad in Taiwan, they had the EasyCard, which has many unique designs to choose from and was very easy to reload at the various convenience store locations. My friends and I had a competition to see who could get the most stamps at transit stations.
