Book and Purchase All Tickets Now Through Ride Pingo

Download the Ride Pingo app on your mobile device through the the App Store or Google Play.

The app is for purchasing tickets on scheduled routes and does not support on-demand or immediate pickup requests. The Ride Pingo app is a safe and easy way book transit through Northfield Lines. You can book directly with the app for the Break Bus, Metro Express and event transit services. 

Click to download Pingo through the Apple Store
Click to download Pingo through the Google Store
Metro Express ScheduleMetro Express Schedule
Stop Location MapsStop Location Maps
St. Olaf College Break Bus ScheduleSt. Olaf College Break Bus Schedule
Carleton College Break Bus ScheduleCarleton College Break Bus Schedule

Ride Pingo App Details

Ride Pingo app users enjoy the same recognizable, easy-to-use format employed by leading rideshare companies.

  • You can use the Ride Pingo app to easily request your Metro Express, Carleton College Break Bus, and St. Olaf College Break Bus.
  • You must now book your scheduled bus ride via the Ride Pingo app.
  • Riders enter their origin and destination. The app then determines the best scheduled vehicle allocation and routing, while also providing standard fixed-route options.
  • Users have the option of booking a guaranteed ride in advance (within parameters set by Northfield Lines).
  • You can request your ride and book directly with the app on our scheduled services. When you ride these scheduled services, the bus comes to you at the scheduled times you request. Depending on your location, you may need to walk to a safe location for the bus to pick you up. Our buses cannot navigate certain streets and will not travel down driveways or dead-end streets.
  • With Ride Pingo, you track your scheduled bus, review your trip status, or cancel trips you no longer need. You will be able to track the real-time location of the bus 30 minutes before your pickup time.
  • Metro Express and Break Bus each follow a schedule. When you are looking to book, and it tells you a bus is not available, it’s most likely because you booked at a time the bus does not run.
    • Please refer to the PDF schedule on our website to find the appropriate schedule you require, either Metro Express or Break Buses for Carlton College and St. Olaf College.
  • Each Email and Phone number can only be associated with one Ride Pingo account.

FAQ’s

Yes, in addition to booking scheduled rides, our services allow you to pre-book a ride for a specific date or time.

Credit Card or Venmo – Payment for tickets can be made via Credit Card or Venmo in advance on the Pingo Ride app.
Cash – Payment can be made in-person upon boarding the vehicle

Each ticket comes with 1 personal bag and 1 “checked” bag. Additional bags will cost $20.

Yes, if you are using a Promo Code this has to be given at the time of booking. No refunds, credits or vouchers will be issued after booking.

It is possible that your ride will be shared with other passengers, especially during times of high demand.

Currently we are seeing an average wait time of about ~15 minutes. The wait time can fluctuate during times of high demand.

Yes, you can cancel your scheduled ride in advance, however, you will be charged a cancellation fee equal to the ticket amount, IF:

  • You do not cancel 24 hours in advance.
  • You are not at the pick-up location when the driver arrives.

If you have a valid voucher, you can call Northfield Lines to redeem at 651-203-8888. We will honor last year’s vouchers through 11/1/25.

Our scheduled service is very popular and there are times when we cannot accommodate every ride request. When your ride request is denied, it is because we do not have enough drivers to meet the demand at that time. We suggest that you try again in 15-30 minutes. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience during the busy times.

The app relies on connections to networks to transmit your location and ride request, as well as the location of the bus. Poor network connection can impact Pingo’s performance. Unfortunately, the network connection is beyond our control. You can try to turn off Wi-Fi temporarily on your phone; some users have reported issues with the app when Wi-Fi is enabled. If the signal strength indicator on your phone shows a weak mobile network connection, try to move to an area where the phone registers a stronger mobile network signal.

To delete your Ride Pingo account and your associated data, please follow the steps below:

  • Log into the app using your account
  • Open the side menu and tap “View Profile”
  • Tap “Delete Account” and tap “Confirm”

How to book on Pingo