Ha ha! You must be the only transit-rider in St Louis who ran for 90 minutes when he found out he didn't have bus fare! Congrats for your unplanned 5am workout.
I had a $10 also, but that seemed kinda steep for a 10-minute bus ride.
Why don't you encourage your company to offer
pre-tax Metro passes to employees? Then no fumbling at the fare box, and you always have the correct fare.
I used to get those when I worked downtown. It really wouldn't make sense from my current location as I only take the bus 3-4 times a week. You have to get in at least 30 trips per month to make it pay off.