Although there is no funding for the Lone Star Regional Rail Project in the proposed city budget, the Georgetown-to-San-Antonio passenger rail plan can still get up to speed in due time. Lone Star Rail District Rail Director Joe Black told the Austin Monitor on Monday that his organization is not overly concerned about the omission. […]
Transit
Posted inTransit
MetroRail downtown station expansion plans underway
Capital Metro staff wants MetroRail’s downtown station on Fourth Street to become a staple in the area’s transportation corridor, and on Monday, board members were shown two proposed ways to expand the terminal’s platform. Javier Arguello, CapMetro’s director of long-range planning, said the downtown expansion project is about 10 percent complete. Staff kicked off the […]
Posted inBicycles, Transit, Transportation
Capital Metro to consider bikes on last-ride buses
The Bicycle Advisory Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution asking Capital Metro to consider allowing bicycles on city buses for the final ride of the night. This would allow a bus with a full bike rack to still accept those riders carrying home bicycles. While some members and attendees called for bikes on buses […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro introduces FY 2016 budget
The Capital Metro Transportation Authority’s sales tax revenue stream is expected to reach historic heights in Fiscal Year 2016, which is a plus since the entity’s services are also slated for a hefty expansion as well. On Monday, Chief Financial Officer Leslie Browder unveiled CapMetro’s proposed FY 2016 budget to board members at the Operations […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro committee reviews split contracts
Capital Metro’s Operations, Planning and Safety Committee reviewed two major, multimillion-dollar contracts Monday for area rail lines that could increase revenue for the transportation entity. Melvin Clark, vice president of rail operations, said his staff reconfigured contractors’ responsibilities this year and sliced one contract into two. Instead of a single contractor overseeing operations and maintenance for […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro awards $256 million contract
The Capital Metro board of trustees decided at its regular meeting to swap service contractors for a portion of its bus routes Wednesday, despite employee concerns. Board members unanimously approved a $256 million contract with Dallas-based MV Transportation that could potentially stretch to nine years. Starting Sept. 31, the new company will oversee the operation […]
Posted inCity Council, Transit, Transportation
Taxicab drivers rally for worker-owned co-op
As Austin’s ground transportation service industry faces upheaval due to new competition, taxi drivers are using a looming expiration of the city’s taxicab franchises as an opportunity to push for, among other requests, a cooperative, driver-owned franchise. Dave Passmore, president of the taxicab union Taxi Drivers Association of Austin, garnered attention Tuesday morning when he […]
Posted inCity Council, Transit, Transportation
Mobility Committee maneuvers on taxicab contracts
While the city has begun a process to rewrite regulations for both taxicabs and transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft, a looming expiration of the city’s taxicab franchise agreements and a bill in the Texas Legislature appear to be complicating the matter. In an effort to address the issue, the City Council Mobility […]
Posted inTransit
Mobility Committee considers taxicab regulations
While taxicabs have served Austin for decades, the entrance of Uber and Lyft into the picture has prompted a ground-up re-evaluation of how the city regulates the seasoned industry. The City Council Mobility Committee considered a set of amendments to the city’s taxicab ordinance Wednesday that, among other changes, would increase the number of available […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro board to vote on new bus routes
The Capital Metro Operations, Planning and Safety committee has approved adding several proposed bus service changes to the full Capital Metro board’s regular March 23 agenda for a final vote. Lawrence Deeter, senior planner for Capital Metro, presented proposed June 2015 service changes, once in a public hearing and also to committee members last Wednesday. The […]
Posted inHays County, Transit, Transportation, Travis County, Williamson County
CAMPO says buses should skip highway traffic
Most highway drivers resist the urge to cruise alongside a traffic jam on the route’s shoulder — it is illegal, not to mention rude. Some buses in Texas, however, may soon get a pass to jump the line. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board narrowly recommended Monday that the Texas Legislature pass […]
Posted inTransit, Transportation
CapMetro committee to create partnership policy
Board members with the Capital Metro Operations, Planning and Safety committee directed staff to begin crafting a board policy that gives parameters around future sponsors and partnerships at their committee meeting Wednesday. On the heels of a presentation overviewing CapMetro’s 2015 South by Southwest operations, Marketing and Communications Vice President Dan Dawson revealed the agency […]