By Maya Betti, News Intern
Editor’s Note: Here on KYMN, we’re taking a closer look at transportation, parking, and infrastructure in Northfield. This is part two of our series, Transportation in Northfield, where we continue to explore how the city and its colleges are navigating current challenges and planning for the future.
- Part I – Parking pressure grows at St. Olaf, Council approves small fix amid bigger questions
- Partt II – Students and residents alike express concerns over current parking situation at St. Olaf
A new partnership between Northfield Lines and The Routing Company, a company that specializes in on-demand transit solutions, is bringing a more flexible public transportation option to the community — and to the campuses of St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges.
It’s a milestone years in the making for St. Olaf alum Dick Nchang, who began pushing for better transportation during his first year on campus.
Nchang first noticed the transportation gap after he was stranded at Walgreens while trying to buy eyedrops
While a friend eventually gave him a ride, the experience made something clear: Northfield had a transportation problem that needed fixing.
Listen to the News:
“I just remember thinking to myself, This is not how I want to be going around and about getting stuff done in Northfield,” – Dick Nchang, KYMN News Interview
For many St. Olaf and Carleton students, especially those without cars, simple trips to pick up groceries or commuting to a job in town can be difficult to plan. International students often arrive without a driver’s license or vehicle, making them especially dependent on the limited public transit available. And while Hiawathaland Transit has offered fixed routes, schedules don’t always match student needs — particularly on evenings and weekends.
Over the next few years, Nchang worked with college leaders, including St. Olaf CFO Mike Berthelsen, to explore new solutions. One promising option was The Routing Company’s Pingo app, a tool that lets riders see service options, compare times and prices and book rides in one place.
“I looked at those geographies which they had worked in, and I said, Well, st Olaf is in a pretty similar geographic structure, so perhaps there’s something which we could, you know, work out together,” – Dick Nchang, KYMN News Interview
Berthelsen agreed that this looked like a fitting solution.
For the college, the end goal is simple.
“Our central goals for students are to be able to to know what’s available for them, to make it easy as possible for them to access it,” – Mike Berthelsen, CFO of St. Olaf College, KYMN News Interview
Over the past year, St. Olaf and Carleton have merged certain shuttle services, expanded weekend bus trips to the Twin Cities, lowered fares, and added stops near off-campus housing.
The partnership with The Routing Company expands these efforts, offering on-demand shuttle service in Northfield and Dundas for students, staff. Early feedback has been positive — especially from international students.
“The international student group chat was just, you know, so flurry, and everyone around who was able to use it has given that really great praise for it,” – Dick Nchang, KYMN News Interview
As students return to campus, the hope is that these expanded options will make it easier for everyone to get where they need to go.
In Part Four of this series, we will begin exploring public transit in Northfield.
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