Shifting focus From the cover
Diving in deeper
Two-minute impact
Key projects
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. Projects included bus stop enhancements, improved park and ride lots, new circulator routes and the implementation of three bus rapid transit, or BRT, lines. In June, METRO officials announced they would not proceed with the federal grant process for the University Corridor BRT line, arguing funding would be better spent elsewhere. As of Oct. 14, none of the $3.5 billion of bonded funds from METRONext has been used. Brock said the agency will focus on increasing ridership before taking another look at building new infrastructure. A METRONext BRT line serving the Gulfton area remains on track, with METRO waiting to hear back on a grant application, Brock said. She said it made sense to keep that project since it was smaller in cost and tied to a larger revitalization effort in Gulfton. METRO rider Courtney Winton said he uses the agency’s bus service to get from the Gulfton and Bellaire areas to Downtown Houston. He said he believes METRO should focus on services to help empower residents who rely on public transit. The shift in focus toward ridership is what METRO officials are referring to as METRONow. METRONow investments account for $173.4 million in the capital budget and will focus on three main priorities: providing cleaner buses, boosting service times and enhancing public safety. METRO aims to add 33 new police officers to patrol bus stations, 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.
METRONext
Although several bus rapid transit projects have been paused by the METRO board, the Gulfton Corridor BRT continues to move forward. Gulfton Corridor BRT
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The project creates a bus-only lane to improve speed and frequency of service in one of Houston’s most transit-dependent communities. Status: Grant application submitted Estimated cost: $200M-$300M
METRONow
FY 2024-25 expenditures
Operating budget: $980 million Capital budget: $598 million Debt service budget: $96 million General mobility program transfer*: $217 million
New buses to replace outdated vehicles and maintain high- frequency routes More police officers to patrol bus stations and accompany passengers An increased focus on service times, cleanliness and accessibility
Total $1.89B
*A CERTAIN PORTION OF METRO FUNDS ARE TRANSFERRED EACH YEAR TO FOUR HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCTS FOR GENERAL MOBILITY PROJECTS.
SOURCE: METRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: METRO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
A slow recovery METRO budget
By the numbers
METRO ridership
Other services Local bus services
$1.89B*
120M 90M 150M 60M 30M 0
$2B
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-pan- demic 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.
$1.50B
$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
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