Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is moving to hire a Paris-based company to operate bus service in the Austin area – sidelining the current contractor, MV Transportation, and raising alarms among union leaders representing more than 1,200 bus drivers and maintenance workers. A panel of four Capital Metro board members on Wednesday unanimously gave initial approval […]
Capital Metro
The city’s urban transportation system.
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro board holds public hearing on proposed FY 2024 budget
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday held a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-24 Operating and Capital Budget. Kevin Conlan, deputy chief financial officer, presented an overview of the $871 million budget proposal to the board members. Capital Metro staff has completed its public engagement portion of the budget […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro board authorizes contract for long-awaited pedestrian crossing at I-35 and Fourth Street
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors this week paved the way for construction of a pedestrian crossing at Interstate 35 and Fourth Street. The resolution, which passed on the consent agenda at the board’s Aug. 28 meeting, authorizes the agency to execute a contract with Rio Grande Pacific Technology Inc. for $358,038. Funding […]
Posted inTransit
Austin mobility leaders praise land use changes in support of 50-50 transit shift
Transit leaders agree: Shifting half of all local travel away from individual vehicles by 2039 will require an aggressive mix of land use reform and expansion of transit options, including the Austin’s forthcoming light rail line. Exactly how those changes play out over the next decade-plus was the focus of a recent Urban Land Institute […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro updates financial forecast, returns $130 million to contingency fund
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Finance, Audit and Administration Committee heard an update on the agency’s financial status at its meeting on Aug. 14. Catherine Walker, chief financial and risk officer, presented a financial report as of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23. According to the presentation, sales tax remittances received as of May are […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro to launch free fare program to serve riders experiencing homelessness
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is preparing to launch its new fare program for individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin. The HMIS Pass program will distribute passes to unhoused Austin and Travis County residents who are receiving services through the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS. Capital Metro is currently finalizing pass parameters […]
Posted inTransit
Red Line improvements add capacity, access for critical Project Connect transit option
The light rail line that’s planned to run through downtown Austin is the portion of Project Connect that’s drawn the most attention in recent years. But folks like Matt Geske, who regularly ride the Red Line commuter train that goes from Leander to the Austin Convention Center, are happy to give the long-running transit line […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro quietly rolls out money-saving app and payment card months late
Lee esta historia en español With little fanfare, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched a new app and payment card last week – months behind schedule. The card and app can save users money on train or bus rides. The transit agency is also rolling out cheaper fares for people with lower incomes but is not […]
Posted inTransit
Disability advocates raise safety, accessibility concerns with Cap Metro board
A member of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Access Advisory Committee is calling for monthly safety briefings from the board after the organization failed to address multiple instances of sexual harassment on the part of a MetroAccess driver. Audrea Diaz was appointed to the committee in January 2019. She requested the briefings during the board’s citizen […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro board approves agreement with ATP for reimbursement of McKalla Station capital costs
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors last week approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Austin Transit Partnership for the reimbursement of capital costs for the McKalla Station MetroRail project. The board approved the resolution at its July 24 meeting, authorizing Capital Metro President and CEO Dottie Watkins to finalize and […]
Posted inTransportation
Langmore appointed to Austin Transit Partnership board of directors
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors last week voted to appoint John Langmore to serve as the community expert director of finance on the Austin Transit Partnership’s board of directors. The Austin Transit Partnership is the entity tasked with implementing Project Connect. The nominating committee consisted of Board members Matt Harriss, Paige Ellis, […]
Posted inTransit
Do Austin’s new bus shelters cut it in the Texas heat?
Under Austin’s scorching afternoon sun, Elijah Archie finds himself at the outskirts of Capital Metro’s service area. He’s on Decker Lane, earbuds in, eyes scanning for the bus. He’s standing next to one of the public transit provider’s sleek, new silver bus shelters. Archie wasn’t impressed with the shelter’s modern design. He didn’t really care […]