Transportation
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON & HALEY MCLEOD
Bikeshare fare hike could impact local students Less than a year after Austin’s public transit provider CapMetro rolled out its electric-assist Bikeshare program, the transportation agency has proposed increases in fares in order to sustain costs. The overview The changes will raise the pay-as-you-go fare and cut the included ride time before overtime fees kick in from 60 to 30 minutes. Officials say the updates are meant to help cover operation and maintenance costs of the new high- tech bike system and to encourage shorter rides with more frequent docking. These rate adjustments will go into effect Aug. 1, after unanimous board approval April 21. Of note Fare increases will also impact day, month and annual passes.
Road work on Burnet Road continues A variety of road improvements along Burnet Road between Koenig Lane and MoPac are continuing, with some work expected to begin later this year. Some context Scheduled work for the Burnet Road Mobility Program includes: • White Horse Trail to US 183, or C2 • Bright Verde Way to MoPac, or C3 • US 183 to Bright Verde Way, or C4 Major construction along Burnet Road first began in 2022. C2 and C4 construction is slated to begin Fall 2025, with C3 construc- tion beginning in 2026. The city anticipates investing between $45 million to $55 million from the 2016 Mobility Bond on the Burnet Road improvements.
Bikeshare fare structure
CapMetro officials approved increases to its pay-as-you- go Bikeshare fare structure, to be implemented in August.
Current price
Proposed price
$10
$8 $6 $4 $2 $0
5
10 15 20 25 30
Minutes
SOURCE: CAPMETRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Student passes—though now expanded to include trade schools, nursing schools, high schools and other educational institutions—will be over five times more expensive, jumping from $12 annually to $75. Students account for 90% of its total Bike- share ridership, per CapMetro documents. “For a lot of students $75 is a lot—it could be the difference between maybe buying a textbook or having enough money [for food],” said CapMetro board member Zo Qadri.
Call today to schedule an exclusive tour. | 512.601.8692
13
NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook