Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects
- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
-
-
Discover News By District
-
Popular Whispers
- Council Member Mike Siegel will speak out against cuts to federal services
- City manager hosts community meetings on next year’s budget
- DAA offers a look at future of Sixth Street entertainment district
- RRCD names Klepadlo as executive director
- Zero Waste Advisory Commission adds own ‘no’ rec on merge with RMC
Transportation
Small change brings big boost to MetroRapid
MetroRapid’s popularity has taken off after a small but significant tweak the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority made in January. So far in 2017, both lines of the limited-stop service have together seen a 26-percent increase in ridership compared to the…
Transit • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 25, 2017
Council approves Smart Trips program
City Council on Thursday approved the second iteration of Smart Trips, an education and outreach program aimed at getting people in Central Austin out of their cars and onto sidewalks, bikes and buses. The first iteration took place between April…
Transportation • By Jack Craver • Apr 21, 2017
Traffic, affordability plague Austin in latest Zandan Poll
Traffic and transit woes continue to be the bane of most Austinites’ existence, but the latest edition of a long-running community survey suggests those frustrations are easing, at least a little bit. The newest Zandan Poll – started 30 years…
Transit • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 20, 2017
House sets the table for Uber and Lyft's return to Austin
Uber and Lyft’s self-imposed exile from Austin could be nearing the beginning of the end. On Wednesday, the Texas House of Representatives voted to approve House Bill 100 on a crucial second reading. The bill would create a statewide regulatory…
Texas State Legislature • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 20, 2017
Transportation Improvement Program costs continue to rise
The Transportation Policy Board discussed amendments made to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan at its meeting Monday night. Among the top concerns mentioned were the continuous cost increases such amendments entail. Resident Kelly Davis cited…
Roads • By Sommer Brugal • Apr 12, 2017
Fixing street cut repair program to take time
City Council Member Ellen Troxclair said she was “really alarmed” when she read the Office of the City Auditor report showing that the city has a 3.6-year backlog in repairing potholes created by utility crews fixing water lines. That’s the…
Roads • By Jo Clifton • Mar 31, 2017
Subscribe to our newsletter
Austin Monitor Radio: City Transportation
Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard chats with Austin Transportation Department Director Rob Spillar and Transportation Systems Development Division Manager Annick Beaudet. The show is embedded below:
Radio • By Michael Kanin • Mar 27, 2017
New MetroRail trains roll into Austin
With the arrival of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of new equipment, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is approximately half a year away from beefing up its tenth most popular route. On Thursday, workers at the agency’s North Operations…
Transit • By Caleb Pritchard • Mar 24, 2017
Capital Metro demos robot bus
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority showed off a robot minibus last week that could be the future of linking low-density areas to the agency’s mass transit network. Along with RATP Dev, the parent company of Capital Metro contractor McDonald Transit…
Transportation • By Caleb Pritchard • Mar 20, 2017
Legislature drives closer to statewide ride-hailing regulations
Three bills that would trump Austin’s ride-hailing regulations swerved through the Texas Senate on Tuesday. In front of a standing-room-only crowd, the Committee on Business & Commerce took up Senate bills 113, 176 and 361. Each authored by Republican lawmakers,…
Texas State Legislature • By Caleb Pritchard • Mar 15, 2017
After Uber and Lyft exit, local ride-hailing options stumble during first SXSW
Mel Roe was eating dinner Saturday night at Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant in downtown Austin when she nearly threw her phone at the wall. Roe says the app of one of Austin’s six fledgling ride-hailing companies, Fasten, would not let her…
Transportation • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 14, 2017
Austin officials rap about Smart Cities, robot cars at SXSW
Nine months after Austin lost the federal Smart City Challenge to Columbus, Ohio, the vision of a data-enhanced urban future is still alive and well. Top officials from Mayor Steve Adler to Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar took time during…
