A new bus service from the St. Clair County Transit District and Metro Transit will take St. Louis Blues fans in the Metro East to and from the Enterprise Center at select home games this season.
Called The Blue Note Express, the bus will leave downtown Belleville 60 to 90 minutes ahead of the game, and a round-trip ride will cost $10, according to the transit district.
“Traffic congestion, high parking fees and long-distance walks from the more affordable parking lots are commonly associated with getting to and from sporting events in downtown St. Louis — but that doesn’t have to be the case,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in a statement. “The new Blue Note Express service offers a safe and hassle-free means for local residents to get to and from St. Louis Blues games.”
The service will be available at 19 home games this season that take place on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays. MetroLink’s light rail will also remain available to take fans to and from Blues’ games.
The Blue Note Express will start on Thursday when the St. Louis Blues begin their 2025-26 season, hosting the Minnesota Wild at 7 p.m.
St. Clair County Transit previously ran a similar service, called the Redbird Express, for St. Louis Cardinals games out of Fairview Heights. It was temporarily canceled ahead of the 2022 season due a shortage of drivers. The bus service returned in 2023 under private ownership only to fizzle out later that season.
Ken Sharkey, managing director of the transit district, said it's regularly received calls to bring back the Cardinals service. This new effort will serve as an experiment, leaving from Belleville instead of Fairview Heights and moving to cashless payments, he said.
With the Blues expected to be competitive, Sharkey said he anticipates ridership will build this season. The fares are not expected to cover the full cost of operating the Blue Note. Previously, sales tax revenue collected by the transit district partially funded the Redbird, Sharkey said.
“If we demonstrate that we can provide adequate service, it may be a precursor to bringing back the Redbird Express,” he said.
