Metro Transit rewarded Nadine Babu of St. Louis Park with a year of free rides after recording its 3-billionth customer on Thursday, Nov 29.

Because it was impossible to pinpoint exactly who would be the 3-billionth customer, Metro Transit asked riders to write an essay explaining why they choose public transportation.

A judging panel chose Babu's essay as the winner and she received a Go-To card with a year's worth of free rides on Metro Transits buses and trains. Four runners-up received a month's worth of free rides on a Go-To card.

After compiling rider data, Metro Transit picked Thursday as the closest day to celebrate the milestone.

Babu, the CEO and social media strategist at her company, Babu Social Networks, said in her essay: "I ride the bus for so many reasons -- it's safe, reliable, inexpensive, convenient, and you can text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and ride without any consequences. You have a customer for life in me!"