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 finds itself at a crossroads, navigating a region whose commuting patterns look different than they once did. The rise of hybrid work and the decline of the traditional nine-to-five 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 parts of the metro like Southwest Austin, accessibility, 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 increase 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, fixed-route service remains difficult— especially amid flat sales tax revenue that limits CapMetro’s funding resources, Watkins said. Instead, the agency is leaning on new flexible solutions, such as CapMetro Pickup, an on- demand microtransit service that operates like a shared ride-hail within defined 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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1 High frequency 2 Introductory service
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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, flex 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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South Austin
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MAP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCE: CAPMETRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Increased frequency
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improvements for other corridors, including Route 310 in Southwest Austin, which is expected to move from its current 30-minute service, to running every 15 minutes and seeing an extension from the South Congress Transit Center to the Eastside Bus Plaza, per the agency’s five-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. The plan outlines additional frequency
Under Transit Plan 2035, CapMetro plans to increase transit frequency primarily to core high-ridership corridors, specifically focusing on its MetroRapid lines and converting several existing bus routes to run more often. Watkins said frequency is the single most effective
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