FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

DULUTH - The Minnesota Public Transit Association kicked off its first series of transit showcases on Saturday.

Organization leaders said they have been working to increase transit funding in order to expand and improve transit service throughout Minnesota.

MPTA is partnering with the Duluth Transit Authority, honoring programs like U-Pass which allow some UMD students to ride the bus for free.

“The legislators that we want to get to these events is going to be critical because they're ultimately the ones that make a decision,” Heath Hickok, a program coordinator, said.

Their latest success came after passing the Transportation Amendment, which dedicates all of the proceeds from sales tax on motor vehicles to highways and transit.