In a city as car-dependent as Austin, you might think a free parking spot would be the least Travis County could offer people traveling downtown to perform jury service. And yet, the Travis County website makes clear that those performing that solemn civic duty are on their own: “If you are assigned to the Travis […]
Transit
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to buy last wave of diesel, first electric buses
In line with its overarching vision for Project Connect, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hoping to phase out use of diesel engine buses beginning this year with the purchase of at least four battery electric buses. The agency has been planning to have electric buses on the streets in Fiscal Year 2022, but now […]
Posted inTransit
AECOM wins Orange Line preliminary engineering contract
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority began advertising a contract for preliminary engineering design services and mode recommendations for the Project Connect 21-mile high-capacity Orange Line on Dec. 18, the day after the agency’s board of directors approved Project Connect‘s long-term vision plan. Now, after receiving three responses in January and negotiating with the most qualified firm, the […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to meet its own bus stop standards by 2020
The Capital Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority is wrapping up construction on the last of 16 MetroRapid stops approved in a contract with Muñiz Concrete and Contracting Inc. in May 2018. This year the agency is turning its attention to its MetroBus stops with a new contract with Muñiz for the addition of benches, shelters and […]
Posted inTransit
Transit fund celebrates 5 million discounted rides
Getting around is still the second-greatest cost for Austin residents, but the Transit Empowerment Fund – a collaborative effort between the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin Community Foundation and One Voice Central Texas – has eased that financial burden for a portion of the community’s most vulnerable residents. The TEF Board celebrated a milestone at […]
Posted inTransit
Can Austin get dedicated transit lanes without losing car lanes?
Mayor Steve Adler and Capital Metro Transportation Authority leaders say it is critical that Austin put in place a high-capacity public transit system that runs in a dedicated right-of-way, but that the new system does not have to come at the expense of existing car lanes. “We’re talking about creating dedicated pathways so that this […]
Posted inTransit
New downtown rail station to break ground early April
After carving away the excess from Downtown Station plans in January, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarded a construction contract of $36,865,160 to Austin-based firm Jay-Reese Contractors Inc. at its Feb. 25 meeting. Jay-Reese was one of three firms to respond to Capital Metro’s request for proposal in August 2018. The firm has completed a number […]
Posted inTransit
Access to schools highlights Cap Remap limitations
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority knew that its June 2018 network change, Cap Remap, would remove transit service from vulnerable communities long before the changes took place. The eliminations were part of an intentional attempt to funnel resources into frequent service routes across the city. The agency’s own internal analysis of the route changes in November […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro cuts back on downtown station plan
A nationwide shortage of skilled labor and a tariff-induced spike in the cost of steel have raised estimated construction costs for Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s downtown rail station. Instead of looking for extra project funding, the agency has decided to simplify the station’s design to remain within the project budget. Capital Metro’s downtown station project […]
Posted inTransit
After years of declines, Cap Metro sees an increase in ridership
After years of declining ridership, Capital Metro’s ridership increased in 2018. The boost comes in a year that saw the transit operator’s largest overhaul of its bus system, known as Cap Remap, which affected more than half its lines. Overall, Capital Metro’s ridership went up 5.4 percent in December 2018 compared to the previous year, […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro approves Project Connect vision plan
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s long-term vision plan was adopted by the agency’s board of directors Monday afternoon. As per Project Connect program manager Dave Couch, the map – an array of intersecting and parallel lines of various colors and styles – is the result of a decision made two years ago to study the transportation […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro votes kids ride free, forever
Looking at the 120,000 annual service hours added with Cap Remap this summer or at the major upcoming investments between Project Connect and a fully electric bus fleet, we might expect Capital Metro to be squeezing every possible penny out of its riders in order to pay for it all. Instead, the transportation agency appears […]