Shifting focus From the cover
Key projects
Diving in deeper
Two-minute impact
METRONext
METRO’s new budget includes reducing initiatives by $31.6 million. As of Oct. 14, none of the $3.5 billion of bonded funds has been used.
METRONext is a $7.5 billion plan that was released in 2019 to enhance mobility in Houston. Harris County voters approved a $3.5 billion bond referen- dum that year to support the $7.5 billion plan. Anticipated projects included bus stop enhance- ments, improved park and ride lots, new circulator routes, and the implementation of three bus rapid transit, or BRT, lines. METRO officials did pause two of the planned BRT lines—the Inner Katy Corridor and the University Corridor. Many Harris County residents expressed concern about halting the BRT lines, especially the highly-anticipated University Corridor. The project was intended to connect three universities and com- munity colleges to historically disadvantaged areas. Greg LeGrande, president of the Neartown- Montrose Super Neighborhood Association, said he was stunned when he heard about the pause. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “I think it’s a bad decision and, what’s worse, they made it without any public input. The money was bonded for specific projects, and while it may be used for other METRO projects, it’s not the ones that people specifically voted for, and that’s unfair.” Brock said the two BRT lines are on pause, not canceled. However, she said she intends to focus on increasing ridership first. The shift in focus is what METRO officials are referring to as METRONow. METRONow invest- ments account for $173.4 million in the capital budget and will focus on three main priorities: cleaner buses, better service times and public safety. METRO aims to add 33 new police officers, improve on-time services from 70% to 100% and implement cleaning inspections.
The $1.89 billion budget is a 15% jump from FY 2023-24’s approved budget of $1.6 billion. In total, METRO’s spending increased by approximately $255 million over last fiscal year. According to METRO’s budget documents, the increased spending comes from capital project expenses that fall under what officials call “core business items,” such as vehicle maintenance, vehicle acquisition, facility maintenance and technology projects. The capital budget—which is 42% higher than the previous fiscal year—accounts for $598 million of the total budget. Brock said one of the most notable capital projects includes purchasing roughly 280 new buses, which comes with a $209 million price tag. Seventy of those vehicles are anticipated to be on the road by the end of February and the remaining 210 by December 2025. Also listed under capital programs are expansion and enhancement costs, which account for $242 million.
University Corridor bus rapid transit line
Starting point A Ending point B
45
B
610
10
WESTPARK TOLLWAY
A
288
59
N
Installing a bus-only lane with increased service connecting transit lines to local universities
Status: on pause until further notice Estimated cost: $2.2 billion
METRONow
Investments account for $173.4 million, and include new buses; more police; and a focus on service times, cleanliness and accessibility.
82 BOOST Westheimer Route
Starting point A Ending point B
45
290
FY 2024-25 expenditures
Operating budget: $980 million Capital budget: $598 million Debt service budget: $96 million General mobility program transfer*: $217 million
59
10
B
6
10
A
45
610
288 610
N
59
Total $1.89B
Improvements to roadways, sidewalks, accessibility and bus shelters
Status: Inner Loop construction underway till April 2025; design underway outside the loop Estimated cost: $11.3 million
*A CERTAIN PORTION OF METRO FUNDS ARE TRANSFERRED EACH YEAR TO FOUR HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCTS FOR GENERAL MOBILITY PROJECTS.
SOURCE: METRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: METRO, ELIZABETH BROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
A slow recovery METRO budget
By the numbers
METRO ridership
Other services Local bus services
$1.89B*
$2B
120M 90M 150M 60M 30M 0
METRO’s FY 2024-25 budget is one of the largest budgets passed in the transit authority’s history as officials aim to increase ridership. Overall annual ridership has risen since the pandemic, but numbers still remain below pre-pandemic totals. In 2019, combined METRO services, including buses, light rail, park and ride, and curb2curb, were boarded over 85 million times. That amount steadily declined throughout the early 2020s, falling below 70 million. However, METRO officials are predicting that number to increase to nearly 80 million in FY 2024-25.
$1.5B
$1B
$.5B
0
Fiscal year
Fiscal year
*PROJECTED
NOTE: OTHER SERVICES REFLECT ALL METRO SERVICES, INCLUDING LOCAL BUS SERVICES, METRORAIL, METRORAPID, PARK AND RIDE, AND CURB2CURB.
SOURCE: METRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
10
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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