CapMetro evolves as habits shift From the cover
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Rethinking the ride
Transit access across Austin CapMetro’s service area includes a range of route types that move riders within neighborhoods and across the region.
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As CapMetro celebrates its 40th anniversary, the agency isn’t just looking back—it’s looking ahead. Four decades after Austin voters created the transit authority, CapMetro nds itself at a crossroads, navigating a region whose commuting patterns look dierent than they once did. The rise of hybrid work and the decline of the traditional nine-to-ve commuters have forced Austin’s public transit agency to confront the problem of how to adapt a system built for a past era to meet the needs of today’s Central Texans. CapMetro’s Transit Plan 2035, adopted Oct. 20, marks what CEO Dottie Watkins calls a sweeping “recalibration” to create a more equitable and widely used transit system. The plan coincides with the agency’s partner initiative Project Connect—the multibillion dollar build-out of Austin’s voter-approved light rail, which is set to begin construction within the next few years. In Central Austin, reliability and frequency remain large concerns from public transit advocates and users. City Council member Paige Ellis, who also serves on the CapMetro board, said the agency must “get creative” as it works to increasing frequency while managing the costs of operation personnel. CapMetro’s long-term strategy aims to close mobility gaps by bringing access closer to where people live and work. However, providing frequent, xed-route service remains dicult— especially amid at sales tax revenue that limits CapMetro’s funding resources, Watkins said. Instead, the agency is leaning on new exible solutions, such as CapMetro Pickup, an on- demand microtransit service that operates like a shared ride-hail within dened zones. Using smaller vehicles, Pickup helps riders reach bus routes, grocery stores and medical centers, the “last-mile” solution for those that do not live directly near transit stops, agency documents state.
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North Austin
Rapid routes
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Regular bus routes
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3 High frequency bus 4 Bus service to and from Austin along major streets 5 Bus service in outlying areas including crosstown, ex and feeder options 6 Express, Flyer 7 UT Shuttle
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Rail
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Rail Rail shuttle 8 South Congress Transit Center
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STATE CAPITOL
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MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCE: CAPMETROCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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Increased frequency
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frequency improvements for other corridors, including the Red Line commuter rail in Northwest Austin, which is expected to move from its current varying schedule to a consistent 30-minute all-day service, with extended weekday and Saturday hours in the agency’s ve-plus-year outlook.
way to attract riders and keep them using transit. The agency aims to achieve a consistent 10-min- ute frequency on its two newest MetroRapid routes—Route 800 and Route 837, serving East Austin—by next summer. Further ahead, the plan outlines additional
Under Transit Plan 2035, CapMetro plans to increase transit frequency primarily to core high-ridership corridors, specically focusing on its MetroRapid lines and converting several existing bus routes to run more often. Watkins said frequency is the single most eective
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