Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Founded	July 1, 1985
Headquarters	2910 E. Fifth Street
Locale	Austin, Texas
Service area	Austin, Travis and parts of Williamson Counties
Service type	Bus, passenger rail, van pool
Routes	49 metro, 12 special, 8 express, 19 UT shuttle, 1 passenger rail
Stops	3,000+
Hubs	22(transfer centers/ park and ride)
Stations	9 (passenger rail)
Fleet	417
Daily ridership	86,660 (Feb. 2020)[1]
Fuel type	ultra-low sulfur diesel, Diesel-electric hybrid, battery-electric
Operator	MV Transportation (bus) MV Transportation (UT shuttle) Herzog Transit Services (Capital MetroRail)
Chief executive	Randy Clarke [2]
Website	capmetro.org

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as Capital Metro (or colloquially Cap Metro), is a public transportation provider located in Austin, Texas. It operates bus, paratransit services and a commuter rail system known as the Capital MetroRail in Austin and several suburbs in Travis and Williamson counties.

Voters approved the creation of Capital Metro in January 1985, agreeing to fund the organization with a one percent sales tax.

History[]

Capital Metro was established by a referendum on January 19, 1985, to provide mass transportation service to the greater Austin metropolitan area. Voters in Austin and the surrounding area approved the creation of the agency, to be funded in part by a 1 percent sales tax. Capital Metro commenced operations on July 1, 1985, and took over the existing city of Austin bus services in 1986.^[3]

In an effort to boost ridership, Capital Metro did away with fares completely and instituted fare-free in an experiment that lasted from October 1989 to December 1990. The program was enormously successful in attracting new passengers, and increased ridership by 75% (but expanded service accounted for some of the growth). The fare-free scheme, however, attracted problem riders who drove away quality ridership. In response, 75% of transit drivers voted to have the program discontinued immediately in 1990.^[4]

In 1997 Capital Metro was the subject of a string of Texas Legislature and FBI investigations that uncovered a dysfunctional organization beset by poor management. As a result, the Legislature subsequently overhauled Capital Metro and its board of directors in an attempt to make the transit authority both more effective and transparent ahead of a performance review by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.^[5] The review cited an "ongoing criminal investigation" by the FBI, "irresponsible management", "expensive, embarrassing mistakes", "dubious contracting and purchasing practices", and $118,000 spent on "food, parties, and presents for its employees" and culminated with, "We have never, in all of the performance reviews we have conducted, seen an agency with such a lack of accountability."^[6]

As part of this restructuring, the Legislature ordered Capital Metro to hold an up-or-down referendum on passenger rail. In response, Capital Metro released an ambitious plan that proposed to spend $1.9 billion for a light rail system with 52 miles of track on existing streets. The referendum was narrowly defeated in November 2000 by 2,000 votes, with voters in central Austin tending to favor it, while those outside the city limits did not.^[7] Capital Metro prepared a greatly scaled-back version for voters in November 2004. The updated plan sought to build just one starter line that would run north–south at a cost $90 million. While the project was somewhat marred by construction delays, questions and safety and cost overruns, the Red Line of the Capital MetroRail began service on March 22, 2010.^[8]

Capital Metro had its first passenger/bus fatality in its operating history on January 30, 2012, when route 383 operated by Veolia Transportation bus struck a pedestrian crossing Braker Lane and Jollyville Road.^[9] The next fatality happened on January 29, 2019 when a driver struck Anthony John Diaz while he was cycling near the University of Texas campus.^[10]

There have been several passenger injuries that have been reported on Veolia, StarTran, and First Transit routes in which First Transit exceeds performance ratings, StarTran in the middle, and Veolia failing to consistently meet performance ratings. A safety review plan has been communicated with Veolia Transportation in 2011. The board of directors have been constantly reviewing ways of improvement for that contractor.

In June, 2018, Capital Metro began testing driverless buses. If successful the buses would run for free as part of a 12-month pilot program.^[11]

Funding conflicts[]

The source of Capital Metro's funding has been a source of considerable and consistent controversy since the transit authority's founding in 1985. In December 1988, the board of directors voluntarily lowered the sales and use tax to 0.75-cent. In June 1995, the Board of Directors reinstated the sales and use tax to the full one percent effective October 1, 1995, promising to set aside the additional revenue for funding light rail.^[12]

Capital Metro, after raising its sale tax from 0.75 percent to 1 percent in 1995, had stockpiled $176 million by the 2000 referendum. When light rail was defeated at the polls in 2000, however, pressure mounted to return the quarter-cent it had been setting aside for rail projects. For years, mass transit detractors had coveted the quarter percentage earmarked for rail projects. Political leaders and organizations, including former Republican state Rep. of Austin, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and his anti-rail group Reclaim Our Allocated Dollars (ROAD), wanted the sales-tax money to build projects such as a highway loop around Austin and an east–west freeway. As pressure mounted on Capital Metro, Keel announced his intention to roll Capital Metro's taxing authority back to a half-cent and redirecting the other half-cent to highway construction.^[13]

To head that off and keep rail's future prospects alive, the Capital Metro board passed resolutions in the months after the vote making two promises: It would direct $91 million of its existing reserves to local governments for transportation projects, and it would dispense all proceeds that year from a quarter-cent of its tax to those same local governments. That quarter-cent promise was later extended for three more years, eventually amounting to $113 million, for a total of $204 million.^[14]

The city of Austin, given that something on the order of 97 percent of Capital Metro sales taxes come from within the city, was to be the primary beneficiary of those promises. Since 2000, at least $106 million of the $204 million promised to Austin and smaller cities such as Manor and Leander. At the same time, however, it was spending more than $300 million on commuter rail, park-and-ride lots, a new maintenance and operations center, and other facilities. As the Great Recession spread to Austin in 2009, tax revenues dried up and Capital Metro had to stop payment on a $51 million loan owed to Austin as part of a 2001 agreement. ^[15]

Member jurisdictions[]

The following jurisdictions participate in the Capital Metro system, all in Travis and Williamson Counties.^[16]

• Austin
• Jonestown
• Lago Vista
• Leander
• Manor
• Point Venture
• San Leanna
• Volente
• The Anderson Mill area in Williamson County
• Precinct 2, an unincorporated area in north Travis County.

The Cities of Round Rock, Pflugerville and Georgetown currently contract for Capital Metro service, but do not pay the 1% sales tax.

The original jurisdictions of Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Rollingwood, and West Lake Hills have withdrawn from Capital Metro.^[17] Service to other areas in the Austin metropolitan area is provided by the Capital Area Rural Transportation System. Capital Metro recently voted to allow a new policy that would allow new member cities to hire the transit authority to provide transit service, without using the 1% sales tax.^[18]

Capital MetroBus[]

Capital Metro's fixed route bus service includes 83 standard routes and 14 high-frequency bus routes as of 2020. It has several categories of routes: Local Service, Flyer and Limited, Feeder, Crosstown, Special Services, Express and University of Texas Shuttles. At the agency's inception, Capital Metro originally operated a series of "paired" route service where two different routes that pass through downtown are served by the same buses, allowing riders to transfer between certain routes without leaving the bus. Since 2008, this practice has been eliminated and after a number of route pair reassignments, the agency merged the paired routes under single route numbers (for example, the 1 North Lamar and 13 South Congress were originally paired as they were the two busiest routes in the system, but they have since been merged as 1 North Lamar/South Congress). Meanwhile, most local routes carried two digits before Capital Metro assigned a third digit for routes that do not serve downtown in 2000 (for example, 25 Ohlen became 325). Flyer routes were renumbered altogether to match their local stop counterparts (for example, 65 Manchaca Flyer became 103), while express routes that operated during commute times only contained letters (for example, NEX Northeast Express was renamed 990 Manor/Elgin Express; but was originally 70 Northeast Express).

University of Texas Shuttle System[]

The University of Texas' shuttle system, operated by Capital Metro, is one of the largest university transit systems in the United States. The boasts 10 routes and carries over 5.2 million passengers a year. UT students, faculty, and staff may ride the shuttles at no charge with a valid UT photo ID. Without a UT photo ID, normal MetroBus rates apply.^[19]

During the five fiscal years that ended in September 2009, hours of shuttle service declined by 16.3 percent and passengers declined by 28 percent. Capital Metro attributes some of that ridership loss to UT students and staffers moving in greater numbers to regular Capital Metro bus routes, where they also ride for free. During the same period, non-shuttle ridership by UT students and staffers increased to 2.3 million from 1.6 million. Still, combined shuttle and non-shuttle UT ridership has declined.^[20]

History[]

The relationship between the university and Capital Metro dates to 1989, when the agency took over service that private bus companies had provided for 20 years. Capital Metro offered snazzier buses with air conditioning, but it immediately lengthened the time between some bus runs.^[21]

In 1983, the University of Texas received six bids to manage the shuttle system. Capital Metro entered into the picture in 1988, when the university contracted out to them. Capital Metro, in turn, then subcontracted out to Laidlaw International, Inc., who had, up to that point, operated orange and white school buses^[22][23] for the university on a contractual basis. Rather than use Laidlaw's existing bus fleet, however, Capital Metro used their own. In so doing, Capital Metro brought air conditioning and wheelchair accessibility to the shuttle service for the first time.^[24] The transition, however, was not without controversy. Among the other contested issues was the fact that these new shuttles didn't have a stereo system^[25][26]

In 1991, Capital Metro canceled its contract with Laidlaw and contracted out with DAVE Transportation, instead^[27][28]

Amidst allegations of union busting, in 1999, Capital Metro canceled its then current contract and instead contracted out with ATC/Vancom, instead^[28][29][30] Six years later, in 2005, Capital Metro, citing concerns over the comparatively low wages ATC/Vancom paid, negotiated a contract with First Transit to operate the UT shuttle buses.^[31]

Independent of the university shuttle system, Capital Metro has, since September 19, 2002,^[32][33] operated so-called "E-Bus" routes, to ferry students between heavily populated student residential areas to within a block of 6th Street. These buses run from 8:00-9:00pm to 3:00am, Thursday through Sunday.^[34] The E in "E-Bus" stands for "eating and entertainment" and funding was initially provided for by companies advertising on the bus.^[35] On April 1, 2010, the Daily Texan reported that, in an attempt to curb passenger unruliness, Capital Metro was requiring students swipe their student IDs before boarding and that the University of Texas would start paying for some of the services.^[36]

Routes[]

The UT Shuttle system includes a number of routes during the University of Texas semester. They do not operate on Saturdays, except during finals. Since September 2014, numbered routes have been used exclusively at bus stops, though signage on buses may use either numbered or lettered signage. UT Shuttle routes now also served by the same vehicle livery as other Capital Metro passengers. Local fares apply.

Routes are current as of September 2014.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
640 FA	Forty Acres	E 23rd at San Jacinto — Guadalupe at W 23rd	Circular service, runs clockwise. Formerly the western half of Route 54, originally the entire Route 54.
641 EC	East Campus	E 23rd at San Jacinto — UFCU Disch-Falk Field	Circular service, runs clockwise. Name was previously DF Disch-Falk. Formerly the eastern half of Route 54, originally Route 60.
642 WC	West Campus	San Jacinto at E 23rd — San Gabriel at W 25th	Circular service, runs counterclockwise. Formerly Route 50.
656 IF	Intramural Fields	E 26th at San Jacinto — Guadalupe at W 51st	Formerly Route 56.
661 FW	Far West	Dean Keeton at Speedway — Village Center	Service via Mopac Expressway between W 35th and Far West. Formerly Route 55.
663 LA	Lake Austin	Whitis at W 21st — Kermit at Jasper	Also serves Downtown Austin. Formerly Route 57.
670 CP	Crossing Place	E 23rd at San Jacinto — 1300 Crossing Place	Service via I-35 between E Riverside Drive and E MLK Drive.
671 NR	North Riverside	E 23rd at San Jacinto — Wickersham at Elmont	Service via I-35 between E Riverside Drive and E MLK Drive. Formerly Route 58.
672 LS	Lakeshore	E 23rd at San Jacinto — Lakeshore at E Riverside	Service via I-35 between E Riverside Drive and E MLK Drive.
680 NR/LS	North Riverside/Lakeshore	E 23rd at San Jacinto — Wickersham at E Riverside	Overnight service, served by Route 671 and 672 during daytime. Service via I-35 between E Riverside Drive and E MLK Drive. Signed as "NR/LS Combined Route". Formerly Route 680 NR/WL, but split into two. Formerly Route 85.
681 IF/FW	Intramural Fields/Far West	E 26th at San Jacinto — Village Center	Sunday afternoon and evening service, served by Routes 656 and 661 at other times. Signed as "IF/FW Combined Route". Service via Mopac Expressway between Allandale and Far West. Formerly Route 81.

Former Routes

Route	Name	Notes
651 CR	Cameron Road	Formerly Route 51.
652 PRC	Pickle Research Campus	Formerly Route 52.
653 RR	Red River	Formerly Route 48. Eliminated on June 3, 2018; redundant with route 10.
662 ER	Enfield Road	Formerly Route 53.
673 PL	Parker Lane	Formerly Route 49.
674 BD	Burton Drive	Formerly Route 84.
675 WL	Wickersham Lane	Formerly Route 59.
676 PB	Parker/Burton
682 BD/PL	Burton + Parker	Formerly Route 82.
683 ER/LA	Enfield Road + Lake Austin
684 CR/RR	Cameron Road + Red River	Formerly Route 80.
685 WL/CP	Wickersham Lane + Crossing Place
CL	Campus Loop	Split into 2 routes. Was Route 54, but before that, was Route 83 FA/EC Forty Acres/East Campus.

Local Service Routes[]

Capital Metro's Local routes are intended to connect specific neighborhoods of Austin to Downtown Austin, with frequent stops. Since June 2014, north–south service within downtown Austin for all routes is provided via Lavaca Street northbound and Guadalupe Street southbound, with all routes serving at least one stop along both streets. (Prior to relocating routes to the Guadalupe/Lavaca corridor, many routes formerly utilized Brazos Street northbound and Colorado Street southbound before various construction projects took place. Also, since June 2014, the remaining lines no longer use Congress Avenue between 11th Street and Barton Springs Road.)

East-west service within downtown Austin for all routes is provided via 5th Street eastbound and 4th and 6th Streets westbound, so as to provide a connection along the Lavaca/Guadalupe corridor. Local service is designated by routes 1-49. Local fares apply.

Routes are current as of November 2019.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
1	North Lamar / South Congress	Tech Ridge Park and Ride via North Lamar Transit Center — E William Cannon at Bluff Springs via South Congress Transit Center	Name was originally 1 North Lamar. Was paired with route 13 South Congress until August 2001, when route 1 North Lamar and route 13 South Congress merged into route 1 North Lamar / South Congress. From January 2006 to 2014, the Route 1 was split into two routes: 1L, which was North Lamar/South Congress, and 1M, which was Metric/South Congress, replacing route 242 Metric (renamed from 42 Metric / Quail Valley in February 2000). In 2014, the section along Lamar became new Route 275. Interlined with Route 7 at southern terminus. Route was renamed 1 Metric / South Congress (which was also sometimes signed as 1 North Lamar / South Congress via Metric for historical purposes) Rerouted on Lamar on June 3, 2018 due to Remap and name changed, replacing route 275. Old route via Metric covered by route 325.
2	Rosewood	San Antonio at W 4th — Airport at Springdale	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Interlined with Routes 6 and 19 at western terminus. Was paired with route 10 South First until February 2000. Section on Ledesma, Lott, Prock, and Sara eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
3	Burnet / Manchaca	Southpark Meadows — Great Hills at Stonelake	Interlined with Route 10 at southern terminus and with Route 392 at northern terminus. Name was originally 3 Burnet. Was paired with route 17 Johnston until February 2000; route 3 was instead paired with route 12 Manchaca. In August 2001, route 3 Burnet and route 12 Manchaca merged into route 3 Burnet / Manchaca. It extended north to the Arboretum over portions of Routes 244 and 240 in February 2002.
4	7th Street	5th at Campbell — 7th at Shady	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Was paired with route 18 ML King until August 2008, when these routes were unpaired as all pairs were eliminated. Service on east of Shady on 7th, 183, and Vargas eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. As a result, the route was renamed route 4 7th Street. Also, MetroRapid service is proposed to be introduced on the remainder of the corridor as Route 804.[37]
5	Woodrow / Lamar	Stagebrush at Monterey Oaks — Northcross Mall	Interlined with Route 323 at northern terminus. Name was originally 5 Woodrow. Was paired with route 26 Riverside until August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; the routes were unpaired, and route 5 instead merged with route 16 South 5th / Westgate to form the 5 Woodrow / South 5th. On June 3, 2018, sections transferred to new routes 105 and 315. Service on Monterey Oaks, Staggerbrush, and Roadrunner discontinued. Rerouted on Lamar to downtown replacing part of Route 338. Name changed from Woodrow / South 5th.
6	East 12th	San Antonio at W 4th — Tannehill at Webberville	Interlined with Routes 2 and 19 at western terminus and with Route 339 at eastern terminus.
7	Duval / Dove Springs	E William Cannon at Bluff Springs — Crestview Station	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Some trips detoured via Route 333 routing. Interlined with Route 1 at southern terminus. Name was originally 7 Duval. Was paired with route 27 Dove Springs until August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; route 7 Duval and route 27 Dove Springs merged into route 7 Duval / Dove Springs. Route 7 extended north to current end in August 2010, replacing part of route 339 Walnut Creek / Koenig (route 39 before February 2001; this section was originally part of route 24 Walnut Creek). On June 3, 2018, service on Peppertree Pkwy was discontinued. Service along Huntland, St. Johns, and Cameron was transferred to route 10 and route 300 on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
10	South First / Red River	Southpark Meadows — Rutherford Wal-Mart	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Some trips detoured via I-35 at E 51st. Interlined with Route 3 at southern terminus. Name was originally 10 South First. Was paired with route 2 Rosewood until February 2000; route 10 was instead paired with route 20 Manor Road. The routes were unpaired in August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; route 10 instead merged with route 15 Red River to form route 10 South First / Red River. Service north of ACC Highland (formerly Highland Mall) was transferred to new Route 324 on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Parts of the old route were covered by routes 325 and 350. The Red River section is proposed to be covered by the Gold Line (which would continue north to ACC Highland) as part of Project Connect.[38]
17	Cesar Chavez	8th at Congress — Shady Lane at 5th Street	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Was originally named 17 Johnston. Was paired with route 3 Burnet until February 2000. Service to Eastside Memorial High School discontinued on June 3, 2018 due to Remap; this section was later replaced by new Pickup service, where you can ride from that area to Route 4 or Route 17. Rerouted to ACC Riverside replacing part of route 4. Service to ACC Riverside was suspended on August 18, 2019; route 217 Montopolis Feeder replaced that section; this section will be restored when long-term construction at the US 183 and Montopolis intersection has been completed.
18	ML King	Exposition at Lake Austin — Hefflin at Springdale	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Was paired with route 4 Montopolis until August 2008, when these routes were unpaired as all pairs were eliminated. Also, MetroRapid service is proposed to be introduced on this corridor as Route 818.[39]
19	Bull Creek	San Antonio at W 4th — Northcross at Foster	Rerouted replacing route 23 Wood Hollow by fall 1996; the old direct route via Wood Hollow, Spicewood Springs, and Anderson was discontinued. Was paired with route 29 Barton Hills until January 1998, when these routes were unpaired. Interlined with Routes 2, 6, and 37 at western terminus and with Route 325 at northern terminus.
20	Manor / Riverside	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport — LBJ High School	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Sometimes signed as "20 Manor Road / Riverside". Name was originally 20 Manor Road / LBJ. Portion split off as route 120 St. Johns (later route 320; now discontinued) by August 1996. Was paired with route 12 Manchaca until February 2000; route 20 was instead paired with route 10 South First. The routes were unpaired in August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; route 20 instead merged with Route 26 Riverside to form route 20 Manor / Riverside. On June 3, 2018, rerouted directly and extended to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport replacing part of Route 350 and making Route 100 redundant, causing Route 100 to be discontinued. Portion of old route via Wickersham transferred to new route 310 Wickersham; service on Oltorf and Pleasant Valley already covered by route 300. The Riverside section is proposed to be covered by the Blue Line (which would continue north to North Lamar Transit Center) as part of Project Connect. Also, MetroRapid service is proposed to be introduced on the remainder of the corridor as Route 820.[40]
30	Barton Creek Square	W 8th at Colorado — Westgate Transit Center via Barton Creek Square Mall	Signed as "30 Barton Creek". Was paired with route 28 Ben White until February 2000, when route 28 was renumbered route 328 Ben White; route 30 was paired with route 328 until August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; as a result, route 30 was unpaired from route 328. On June 3, 2018, section to South Congress Transfer Center transferred to new Route 315. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard in June 2019.[41]

MetroRapid Routes[]

Capital Metro's MetroRapid routes is an ostensibly bus rapid transit service (really "Rapid Bus" - mostly a branding exercise) serving high-traffic corridors. The service utilizes high-frequency service of every 15 minutes on weekdays with 10 minute service at rush hours. MetroRapid service is designated by routes 800–899. Local fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
801	North Lamar / South Congress	Tech Ridge Park and Ride — Southpark Meadows	Local service provided by Routes 1 and 201. Former branch of Route 1. Section from North Lamar Transit Center to Stassney (with a possible extension north to Tech Ridge and south to Slaughter) is proposed to be replaced by the Orange Line as part of Project Connect.[42]
803	Burnet / South Lamar	The Domain — Westgate Transit Center	Local service provided by Route 3. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard in June 2019.[41] Is proposed to extend southwest to the proposed Oak Hill Park-and-Ride as part of Project Connect; a new split via Manchaca from Lamar to Slaughter is proposed to be created as part of Project Connect.[43]

Limited and Flyer routes[]

Capital Metro's Limited and Flyer routes are limited stop services between two destinations. Limited routes tend to have fewer stops compared to their local counterparts, while Flyer routes serve nonstop between downtown or the UT campus and their neighborhoods of service. Limited and Flyer routes are designated by routes 100–199. Local fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
103	Manchaca Flyer	Slaughter at Manchaca — Deen Keeton at Guadalupe	Rush hour service. Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Passengers may not board at points beyond Manchaca at Prather when travelling northbound. Passengers may not board at points beyond N Lamar at W 5th when travelling southbound. Renamed from route 65 Manchaca Flyer in August 2001.
105	South 5th Flyer	UT/ West Mall — Westgate Mall	Created on June 3, 2018 replacing part of Route 5 Woodrow/South 5th as part of Remap.
111	South Mopac Flyer	Escarpment at South Bay — San Jacinto at Dean Keeton	Rush hour service. Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Service via Mopac Expressway between W William Cannon and W Cesar Chavez. Is proposed to be rerouted via Mopac to a new Park and Ride at Slaughter as part of Project Connect.[44]
135	Dell Limited	E 7th at Pleasant Valley — Tech Ridge Park and Ride	Rush hour service. Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Service via I-35 between Airport and Parmer.
142	Metric Flyer	S Congress at Riverside — Amherst at Duval	Rush hour service. Service southbound in the morning peak, and northbound in the afternoon peak. Service via I-35 between MLK and E Rundberg. Passengers may not board at points beyond W Rundberg at N Lamar when travelling southbound. Passengers may not board at points beyond Congress at 18th when travelling northbound. Renamed from route 62 Metric Flyer in August 2001.
171	Oak Hill Flyer	Silver Mine at SH 71 — Red River at E 32nd	Rush hour service (with exception of a single reverse peak run midday). Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Service via Mopac Expressway between W Cesar Chavez and Old Fredericksburg. Renamed from route 63 Oak Hill Flyer in August 2001.

Feeder Routes[]

Capital Metro's Feeder routes are local services between a neighborhood and a major transfer point for connecting service. Feeder routes are designated by routes 200–299. Local fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
201	Southpark Meadows	Akins High School — E William Cannon at Bluff Springs	Some service short-turns at Southpark Meadows.
214	Northwest Feeder	Thunderbird at Dawn — Lakeline Station	Renamed from route 102 Lago Vista Feeder in August 2000. Renamed from route 214 Lago Vista Feeder.
217	Montopolis Feeder	Shady Lane at 5th Street — ACC Riverside	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Temporary route created on August 18, 2019 replacing portion of route 17 Cesar Chavez; will become part of route 17 again when long-term construction at the US 183 and Montopolis intersection has been completed.
228	VA Clinic	Metropolis at Veteran's Center — ACC Riverside	Renamed from route 328 Ben White in August 2010 (already renamed from route 28 Ben White in January 2000). On June 3, 2018, changed from route 228 Burleson. Service on Burleson, 71, Todd, and Woodward discontinued due to low ridership. Rerouted replacing part of route 331 Oltorf.
233	Far Northeast Feeder	Manor at Ed Bluestein — Loyola at Wentworth
237	Northeast Feeder	Manor at Ed Bluestein — Community First! Village
243	Wells Branch	Howard Station — Tech Ridge Park and Ride	Replaced part of route 242 Metric (which was renamed from route 42 Quail Valley / Metric in February 2000).
271	Del Valle Flex	ACC Riverside — Rass Road	Created in January 2010.

Crosstown Routes[]

Capital Metro's Crosstown routes are local services between two neighborhoods of Austin, for which the route does not pass through Downtown Austin or the University of Texas. Crosstown routes are designated by routes 300–399. Local fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
300	Springdale/Oltorf	Crestview Station — Westgate Transit Center	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Interlined with routes 350 and 383 at northern terminus; renamed from route 8 Govalle in August 2001. Extended south from Oltorf & Burton in August 2010 due to elimination of route 9 Enfield / Travis Heights (was separate bus routes 9 Enfield and 14 Travis Heights until August 2008). Rerouted to Westgate Mall (replacing most of route 331) on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Old route to south Congress Transfer Center transferred to then-new route 310 Wickersham. Also rerouted on 51st, Cameron, and St. Johns (replacing parts of route 37 and route 320). Old Route along Berkman transferred to route 10. Service on Rogge was discontinued, but was later restored by Pickup, where you can ride to any bus stop in the Pickup service area and take a bus from there. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard in June 2019.[41]
310	Parker/Wickersham	ACC Riverside — South Congress Transit Center	Created June 3, 2018 replacing parts of route 20, route 331, and route 300 as part of Remap. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard around June 2019.[41]
311	Stassney	ACC Riverside — Westgate Transit Center	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Interlined with Route 338 at western terminus. Renamed from route 111 Stassney in February 2000 (which was created by fall 1996 as a renumbering of route 11 Stassney. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard in June 2019.[41]
315	Ben White	South Congress Transit Center — ACC Pinnacle	Created June 3, 2018 replacing parts of route 30 and route 5 as part of Remap. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard around June 2019.[41]
318	Westgate/Slaughter	Aftonshire at Nightjar — Westgate Transit Center	Created as a renumbering of route 238 on June 3, 2018 and extended east on Slaughter to Thaxton at Panadero due to Remap. Was rerouted to the new Westgate Transit Center rather than Western Trails Boulevard in June 2019.[41]
322	Chicon/Cherrywood	RBJ Center — Hancock Shopping Center	Created June 3, 2018 as a renumbering and shortening of route 22 Chicon as part of Remap.
323	Anderson	Northcross Mall via North Lamar Transit Center — Rutherford Wal-Mart	Interlined with route 5 at western terminus and with route 339 at eastern terminus. Renamed from route 23 Johnny Morris in August 2010, and extended over the eastern half of route 339 Walnut Creek/Koenig (this was Route 39 Walnut Creek/Koenig before February 2001). On June 3, 2018, split, and the section east of the Wal-Mart was renamed the new route 339 Tuscany as part of Remap.
324	Georgian / Ohlen	Northcross at Foster — Highland Station	Interlined with route 19 at western terminus. Created on June 3, 2018 replacing parts of route 10, route 240, and route 325 due to Remap.
325	Metric / Rundberg	Tech Ridge Park and Ride — Rutherford Wal-Mart	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Renamed from route 25 Ohlen in February 2000. On June 3, 2018, rerouted to Tech Ridge Park and Ride replacing part of Route 1 and name was changed from 325 Ohlen due to Remap. Old route to Northcross transferred to new route 324 Georgian/Ohlen.
333	William Cannon	ACC Pinnacle — Onion Creek at Pleasant Valley / Thaxton at Panadero	High-frequency service east of Brodie (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Trips eastbound serve one terminus before serving the other terminus; the first terminus served depends on time of day and day of week. Renamed from Route 33 William Cannon in February 2000. On June 3, 2018, rerouted so that it alternates between serving William Cannon/Brush Country and serving both Convict Hill/Woodcreek and ACC Pinnacle.
335	35th / 38th Street	Exposition at Westover — Mueller	Created on June 3, 2018 replacing part of route 21/22 due to Remap.
337	Koenig/Colony Park	Balcones at Burnet — Colony Loop at Decker	Created June 3, 2018 as a renumbering of route 37 Colony Park and was rerouted west over part of Route 320.
339	Tuscany	Rutherford Wal-Mart — Manor at Ed Bluestein	Interlined with Route 323 at western terminus and with route 6 at eastern terminus. Created on June 3, 2018 replacing part of Route 323 as part of Remap. Only a small portion was part of the old route 339 Walnut Creek-Koenig (which was combined with the 323 in August 2010).
345	45th Street	Burnet at North Loop — Hancock Shopping Center	Created on June 3, 2018 replacing part of route 338 due to Remap. Is proposed to be extended west to Bull Creek.[45]
350	Airport Boulevard	North Lamar Transit Center — ACC Riverside	Interlined with routes 300 and 383 at northern terminus. Created as a merge of Route 32 Airport Boulevard and Route 46 Bergstrom in February 2000 and part of Route 8 Govalle. Section south of ACC Riverside transferred to Route 20 on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
383	Research	North Lamar Transit Center — Lakeline Station	Interlined with Routes 300 and 350 at southern terminus.
392	Braker	Kramer Station — Tech Ridge Park and Ride	Interlined with route 3 at western terminus. Service to the Arboretum discontinued on June 3, 2018 due to Remap and was replaced by Route 383.

Special Services[]

Capital Metro's Special services are routes that do not fit in any other category. Special Services are designated as routes 400–499, with the exception of Round Rock service, which instead designates routes as 50–99. Local fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
50	Round Rock Howard Station	Hesters Crossing / Kouri – ACC Round Rock	Created in August 2016. The limited-stop portion split off as Route 150 in January 2020.
51	Round Rock Circulator	Louis Henna at I-35 – Park Valley at Oakwood	Created in August 2016.
150	Round Rock Howard Station Limited	Howard Station – Hesters Crossing / Kouri	Created in January 2020 replacing limited-stop portion of Route 50.
152	Round Rock Tech Ridge Limited	Tech Ridge Station – Baghdad at Brown	Created in August 2016 as Route 52. Renumbered Route 152 in January 2020 because route is limited-stop.
410	E-Bus West Campus	Nueces at W 27th — Colorado at W 6th	Late night and overnight service. No service during summer months.
411	E-Bus Riverside	Crossing Place — Colorado at W 6th	Late night and overnight service. No service during summer months.
412	E-Bus Main Campus	Guadalupe at W 21st — Colorado at W 6th	Late night and overnight service. No service during summer months.
455	Leander Shuttle	Leander Station — Lakeline Station	Saturday service only. Discontinued on August 16, 2020
465	UT MetroRail Connector	San Jacinto at E 23rd — MLK Jr. Station
466	Kramer/Domain MetroRail Connector	Pickle Research Campus — ACC Northridge via Kramer Station	Circular service, runs counterclockwise. Alternates between serving Pickle Research Campus and ACC Northridge. Is proposed to be converted to a local route as part of Project Connect.[46]
481	Night Owl North Lamar	6th at Congress — N Lamar at W Rundberg	Overnight route. Was named route 481 Night Owl North until August 2012.
483	Night Owl Riverside	6th at Congress — Oltorf at Burton	Overnight route. Was named route 483 Night Owl Southeast until August 2012.
484	Night Owl South Lamar	6th at Congress — Victory at Ben White	Overnight route. Section along South 1st eliminated August 2012 and renamed so South 1st was not in the name.
485	Night Owl Cameron	6th at Congress — Rutherford Wal-Mart	Overnight route. Consolidated and replaced part of route 482 Night Owl East August 2012. Old route along IH-35 and Cameron eliminated.
486	Night Owl South Congress	6th at Congress — Pleasant Valley at E William Cannon	Overnight route. Renamed from 486 Night Owl Dove Springs in August 2012 and rerouted off of William Cannongoing east.
490	HEB Shuttle	E Riverside at Pleasant Valley — RBJ Center / E Cesar Chavez at Trinity	Midday service only, services four days a week. Monday and Thursday service terminates at E Cesar Chavez at Trinity. Wednesday and Friday service terminates at RBJ Center. Renamed from Route 90 HEB Shuttle in February 2001.
491	Allandale	N Lamar at W 38th — Rockwood at Ashdale	Midday service only, services Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Curb-to-curb paratransit service operating along fixed route. Renamed from Route 151 Allandale (which was created as a split from route 51 Cameron Road / UT, which was renamed route 651 in 2004, and was shortened in January 2015, and eliminated in May 2015). One part renamed route 161 Delwood, and later route 492 Delwood.
492	Delwood	Hancock Center — Rutherford Wal-Mart	Midday service only, services Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Curb-to-curb paratransit service operating along fixed route. Renamed from route 161 Delwood (which was created as a split from route 151 Allandale, see above for history).
493	Eastview	Airport & Oak Springs — Downtown Austin	Midday service only, services Monday.

Express Routes[]

Capital Metro's Express services are limited stop services that run between Downtown Austin and the far suburbs. Express routes are designated as routes 900–999, and are served exclusively by buses in the red "MetroExpress" livery (though on occasions they may be served by buses in the regular Capital Metro livery as well). Commuter fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
935	Tech Ridge Express	E Riverside at I-35 — Tech Ridge Park and Ride	Rush hour service. Service southbound in the morning peak, and northbound in the afternoon peak. Service via I-35 between MLK Jr. and Parmer. Passengers may not board at any point other than at Tech Ridge Park and Ride when travelling southbound. Some trips are interlined with route 135 at Tech Ridge Park and Ride. Renamed from route 79 Pflugerville Express in May 2000.
980	North Mopac Express	Dean Keeton at Speedway — Century Park at Ida Ridge	Has three additional trips in each direction to Baghdad at Brown in Round Rock during peak hours only. Passengers may not board at points past Howard station when travelling southbound.
981	Oak Knoll Express	Dean Keeton at Speedway — Pavilion Park and Ride	Has three trips in each direction only during peak hours. Passengers may not board at points past W Cesar Chavez & West Avenue when travelling southbound.
982	Pavilion Express	W 4th at Guadalupe — Pavilion Park and Ride	Rush hour and midday service. Rush hour service is southbound in the morning peak and northbound in the afternoon peak; midday service is in both directions. Passengers may not board at points past W 38th at N Lamar when travelling in either direction.
985	Leander/Lakeline Direct	San Jacinto at Dean Keeton — Leander Station via Lakeline Station	All day on weekdays. Saturday evening service until Saturday MetroRail is resumed. Passengers may not board at points past Lakeline Station when travelling southbound.
987	Leander/Northwest Express	E Riverside at I-35 — Leander Station via Lakeline Station	Rush hour service. Service southbound in the morning peak, and northbound in the afternoon peak. Passengers may not board at points past Lakeline Station when travelling southbound.
990	Manor/Elgin Express	W 2nd at Guadalupe — Elgin Depot	Rush hour service. Service westbound in the morning peak, and eastbound in the afternoon peak. Service between Manor Park and Ride and Elgin Depot is provided by Capital Metro on behalf of CARTS; passengers must pay an additional CARTS fare when travelling further east than Manor Park and Ride in either direction. Renamed from route 103 Manor Express in August 2000.

MetroRail[]

Capital Metro's train service, Capital MetroRail, is designated routes in the 500–599 series. Commuter fares apply.

Route	Name	Destination	Notes
550	Red Line	Downtown Station — Leander Station	Rush hour service to Leander Station only; midday service terminates at Kramer Station or Lakeline Station.

Former Routes[]

Route	Name	Notes
1L	North Lamar / South Congress	Eliminated in January 2014 due to creation of route 801. Service along Lamar Boulevard replaced by route 275 North Lamar.
1M	Metric / South Congress	Renamed route 1 Metric / South Congress in January 2014 due to creation of route 801.
8	Govalle	Rerouted over a portion of Route 20 St. Johns (when the 20 and 120 were split) by fall 1996. Renamed route 300 Govalle in August 2001.
9	Enfield / Travis Heights	Was paired with route 14 Travis Heights when route 11 Cherrywood was eliminated. Originally named route 9 Enfield. In August 2008, as a result of the elimination of all pairs, it replaced route 14 Travis Heights, and the name was changed accordingly. Eliminated in August 2010 due to low ridership. Service on Exposition was already covered by Route 21/22, Enfield was already covered by Route 662 (which was replaced by Route 18 in January 2011), service on Congress was covered by Route 1, service on Oltorf was covered by Route 331 (which was replaced by restructured Routes 228 and 300 in June 2018 as part of Remap), and the Route 300 extension (now covered by Route 310) replaced service on Ben White west of Woodward. Service west of MoPac that was not on Enfield or Exposition was not immediately replaced, but service in that area was restored with the introduction of Pickup, where you can ride to any bus stop in the Pickup service area and take a bus from there. Service in the Travis Heights neighborhood and on Burleson (from Oltorf to Ben White) was not replaced.
11	Cherrywood	Paired with route 14 Travis Heights. Eliminated by January 1994; route 14 Travis Heights was instead paired with route 9 Enfield.
11	Stassney	Renumbered Route 111 by August 1996.
12	Manchaca	Was paired with route 20 Manor Road / LBJ until February 2000; route 12 was instead paired with route 3 Burnet. Merged with route 3 Burnet in August 2001.
13	Congress	Paired with route 1 North Lamar. Merged with route 1 North Lamar in August 2001.
14	Travis Heights	Was paired with route 11 Cherrywood. When route 11 Cherrywood was eliminated, route 14 was instead paired with route 9 Enfield. Merged with route 9 Enfield in August 2008 when all pairs were eliminated.
15	Red River	Paired with route 16 South Fifth / Westgate. Merged with route 10 South First in August 2008 when all pairs were eliminated.
16	South Fifth / Westgate	Paired with route 15 Red River. Merged with route 5 Woodrow in August 2008 when all pairs were eliminated.
21 22	Exposition Chicon	Route 21 ran clockwise, Route 22 ran counterclockwise. Signed as "21 Exposition Loop" and "22 Chicon Loop". Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Parts were replaced by new Route 335, and part was already covered by Routes 17 and 18, and the portion on Exposition was replaced by Pickup, where you can ride to any bus stop in the Pickup service area and take a bus from there. The remainder was changed from Route 22 to Route 322 as it no longer went through downtown.
23	Wood Hollow	Merged with route 19 Bull Creek by January 1994.
23	Johnny Morris	Created in January 1998. Renamed route 323 Anderson in August 2010 and sections eliminated due to low ridership. This was an exception to the rules until it was eliminated.
24	Walnut Creek	Became part of route 39 Koenig Lane by January 1994.
25	Ohlen	Was paired with route 3 until January 1997 on weekdays, and until January 1998 on Saturdays. Renamed route 325 Ohlen in February 2000.
26	Riverside	Paired with route 5 Woodrow. Became an extension of route 20 Manor in August 2008 when all pairs were eliminated. This section of the 20 was routed on Congress (since been rerouted on Guadalupe and Lavaca) from Cesar Chavez to Riverside and on Riverside rather than on Cesar Chavez and I-35.
27	Dove Springs	Paired with route 7 Duval. Became an extension of route 7 Duval in August 2008 when all pairs were eliminated.
28	Ben White	Paired with route 30 Barton Creek Square. Renamed route 328 Ben White in February 2000.
29	Barton Hills	Was paired with route 19 Bull Creek until January 1998. Eliminated in August 2010 due to low ridership. Service along Robert E. Lee Blvd. transferred to route 30 Barton Creek Square. This service on route 30 was eliminated in August 2012 due to low ridership.
31	Oltorf	Was paired with route 46 Bergstrom until January 1999. Renamed route 331 Oltorf in February 2001.
32	Airport Boulevard	Combined with route 46 and part of route 8 (this section of route 8 was originally the western half of route 24) to form route 350 Airport in February 2000.
33	William Cannon	Renamed route 333 William Cannon in February 2000.
34
34	Great Hills	Created in January 1999; eliminated in February 2000. Part was transferred to route 383 Research and the rest was redundant with other routes.
35
36
37	Colony Park	Paired with route 38 South Lamar until August 2000. Some trips detoured via I-35 at E 51st. Interlined with Routes 2, 6, and 19 at western terminus. Rerouted on June 3, 2018 over part of route 320 due to Remap. As the route no longer went to downtown, it was renamed Route 337.
38	South Lamar	Paired with route 37 Colony Park until August 2000. Renamed route 338 South Lamar in May 2001.
39	Walnut Creek / Koenig	Was originally route 39 Koenig Lane. By fall 1996, route 39 was rerouted replacing route 24 Walnut Creek, and route 39 was renamed Walnut Creek / Koenig. Renamed route 339 Walnut Creek / Koenig in February 2001.
39A CF	Cedar Feeder	Eliminated by January 1994.
40	Parkfield	Renamed route 240 Parkfield in February 2000. Part transferred to route 383 Research.
41L	Wells Branch Limited	Eliminated by January 1994.
41 LVF	Lago Vista Feeder	Renamed route 102 by August 1996.
42	Quail Valley / Metric	Renamed route 242 Metric in February 2000. Route rerouted off of Quail Valley.
43	South Oaks	Originally 43 Southwest Oaks. Extended and renamed by January 1994. Renumbered route 203 Buckingham / 204 Southwest Oaks by August 1996.
44	Cedar Bend	Originally named 44 Balcones Northwest. Rerouted and named 44 Cedar Bend. Renamed route 244 Cedar Bend in February 2000.
45	Copperfield	Renamed route 245 Copperfield in February 2000.
46	Bergstrom	Paired with route 31 Oltorf until January 1999. Combined with route 32 and part of route 8 (this section of route 8 was originally the western half of route 24) to form route 350 Airport in February 2000.
47	East 26th Street	Created between May 1994 and August 1996. Eliminated by January 1998.
48	Red River / UT	Renamed route 653.
49	Parker Lane / UT	Originally 49 South Riverside. Route was renamed. Renamed route 673.
50	West Campus / UT	Renamed route 642. Number was later reused.
51	Cameron Road / UT	Renamed route 651. Number was later reused.
52	? / UT	Eliminated by January 1994. Number was later reused.
52	Pickle Research Campus / UT	Created between May 1994 and August 1996. Renamed route 652. Number was later reused.
52	Round Rock Tech Ridge	Created in August 2016. Renumbered Route 152 in January 2020 because route is limited-stop.
53	Enfield Road / UT	Renamed route 662.
54	Forty Acres / UT	Merged with route 60 to form new route 54 by fall 1996.
54	Campus Loop / UT	Split into route 640 and route 641.
55	Far West / UT	Renamed route 661.
56	Intramural Fields / UT	Renamed route 656.
57	Lake Austin / UT	Renamed route 663.
58	North Riverside / UT	Renamed route 671.
59	Wickersham Lane / UT	Originally named 59 Pleasant Valley/UT, but route was renamed when route no longer served Pleasant Valley. Renamed route 675.
60	East Campus / UT	Merged into route 54 by fall 1996.
61	Dove Springs Flyer	Renamed route 127 Dove Springs Flyer in August 2001.
62	Metric Flyer	Renamed route 142 Metric Flyer in August 2001.
63	Oak Hill Flyer	Formerly OKX. Renamed route 171 Oak Hill Flyer in August 2001.
64	South Central Flyer	Renamed route 110 South Central Flyer in August 2001.
65	Manchaca Flyer	Renamed route 103 Manchaca Flyer in August 2001.
66	North Central Flyer	Eliminated and replaced by then-new routes 74 and 201/202 by Fall 1996.
67	Cameron Road Flyer	Eliminated in August 2001 due to low ridership.
68	MLK Flyer	Eliminated in August 1997 due to low ridership.
69 IRS	IRS/VA Express	Eliminated in August 2001 due to low ridership.
70 NEX	Northeast Express	Renamed route 103 by August 1996.
71 LX	Leander Express	Split into Routes 982, 983, and 987 in August 2001.
74	North Burnet Flyer	Number chosen as an express of route 44. Originally 74 William Cannon/Parmer Express until revision in January 1997. Renamed route 174 North Burnet Flyer in February 2001.
79 PX	Pflugerville Express	Renamed route 935 in May 2000.
80	Red River / Cameron Road / UT	Renamed route 684.
81	Intramural Fields / Far West / UT	Renamed route 681.
82	Burton Drive / Parker Lane / UT	Renamed route 682.
83	Forty Acres / East Campus / UT	Eliminated by August 1996 as routes 54 and 60 were merged to form new route 54.
84	Burton Drive / UT	Renamed route 674.
85	Convention Center / UT 'Dillo (Red Line)	Eliminated by August 1996.
85	Wickersham Lane / North Riverside / UT	Renamed route 680.
86	Congress/Capitol 'Dillo (Blue Line)	Eliminated in May 2000 due to a restructuring of 'Dillo service.
87	ACC/Lavaca 'Dillo (Green Line)	Eliminated in May 2000 due to a restructuring of 'Dillo service.
88	Old Pecan Street 'Dillo	Renamed route 451 Silver 'Dillo in May 2000 due to a restructuring of 'Dillo service.
89	'Dillo Dash	Created in January 1999; eliminated in May 2000 due to a restructuring of 'Dillo service.
90	HEB Shuttle	Created in May 1998; renamed route 490 HEB Shuttle in February 2001.
91 92	East Lakeline West Lakeline	Renumbered route 205/206 by August 1996.
91	ACC Shuttle	Demonstration route operating from January 1999 to May 1999.
93	Lakeline Shuttle	Renumbered route 207 by August 1996.
94	Day Labor Shuttle	Eliminated in January 1997. Revived in February 2000 as route 499; but route 499 was discontinued as well; replaced by Day Labor service on route 37; now route 10 covers Day Labor.
100	MetroAirport Flyer	Created when the new airport opened in May 1999. Was served primarily by buses carrying the "MetroAirport" livery, though may on occasion have been served by buses in the regular livery. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Replaced by an extended route 20.
101	North Lamar Limited	Created in June 1999. Initially a trial route planned to end in January 2000, but it was successful enough it was kept. Eliminated in January 2014 due to creation of route 801.
102 LVF	Lago Vista Feeder	Renamed route 214 Lago Vista Feeder in August 2000.
103 NEX	Northeast Express	Renamed route 990 Northeast Express in August 2000. Number later reused.
110	South Central Flyer	Rush hour service. Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Passengers could not board at points beyond S 1st at Stassney when travelling northbound. Passengers could not board at points beyond S 1st at Barton Springs when travelling southbound. Renamed from route 64 South Central Flyer in August 2001. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
111	Stassney	Renumbered from route 11 Stassney by August 1996. Renamed route 311 Stassney in February 2000. Number later reused.
120	St. Johns	Replaced St. Johns section of Route 20 Manor Road/LBJ by August 1996; extended east replacing route 208 in January 1998. Renamed route 320 St. Johns in February 2001.
122	Four Points Limited	Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap, and low ridership. Route 122 is proposed to be restored as part of Project Connect, but would only go from Downtown to the proposed Four Points Park-and-Ride, and will not have service from the Four Points Park-and-Ride to Lakeline. The proposed route 122 would also stop at a proposed Park-and-Ride at RM 2222 & Loop 360.[47]
127	Dove Springs Flyer	Rush hour service. Service northbound in the morning peak, and southbound in the afternoon peak. Service via I-35 between E Stassney and E Cesar Chavez. Passengers could not board at points beyond E Stassney at I-35 when travelling northbound. Passengers could not board at points beyond E Cesar Chavez at Trinity when travelling southbound. Renamed from route 61 Dove Springs Flyer in August 2001. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
137	Colony Park Flyer	Eliminated due to low ridership.
151	Allandale	Split from Route 51; renamed Route 491 Allandale in January 2014.
161	Delwood	Split from Route 151; renamed Route 492 Delwood in January 2014.
174	North Burnet Limited	Eliminated due to low ridership.
201	North Loop	Eliminated in January 1998.
202	45th Street	Went in the opposite direction as route 201 above. Eliminated in January 1997 when route 201 was rerouted and became an independent route.
202	Battle Bend	Eliminated in January 2010 due to low ridership.
203 204	Buckingham Circulator Southwest Oaks Circulator	Originally route 43 South Oaks, which was renumbered when route extended to Buckingham. Renamed route 252 Buckingham Slaughter and western part eliminated in August 2002.
205 206	East Lakeline West Lakeline	Formerly route 91/92. Eliminated in June 1997.
207	Lakeline Shuttle	Formerly route 93. Eliminated in January 1997.
208	East Austin Circulator	Merged into route 120 in August 1997.
209	Lohmans	New service created in August 1996 serving The Island, Bar K Ranch, and the City Hall area. Discontinued in August 1997 due to very low ridership; Bar K Ranch and City Hall area service merged into route 102.
210	Hobby Shuttle	Demonstration route operating from January 1999 to August 1999.
211	Capitol Express (South)	Demonstration route operating from January 1999 to May 1999.
212	Capitol Express (North)	Demonstration route operating from January 1999 to May 1999, when this route was replaced by then-new route 101.
238	Westgate	Created from part of route 338. Renumbered route 318 and extended east via Slaughter Lane on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
240	Rutland	Renamed from route 40 Parkfield in February 2000; section on Kramer eliminated and section on Braker transferred to route 392 (a renumbering of route 245, formerly 45) in February 2002. Rerouted north on Parkfield replacing part of Route 244 Cedar Bend. Rerouted several times, until August 2010. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap, with portions replaced by then-new Route 324 and sections covered by Routes 803, 466, and 325. Other portions initially lost service, but service was restored by Pickup, where you can ride to any bus stop in the Pickup area and take a bus from there.
242	Metric	Renamed from route 42 Metric / Quail Valley in February 2000. Eliminated in January 2006 as part became a branch of route 1 N. Lamar (1M Metric, existing route of route 1 became 1L N. Lamar); and rest renamed route 243 Wells Branch.
244	Cedar Bend	Renamed from route 44 Cedar Bend in February 2000. Eliminated in February 2002 as part was transferred to route 3 N. Burnet, part was transferred to route 240 Parkfield, and the rest was renumbered route 391 Parmer.
245	Copperfield	Renamed from route 45 Copperfield in February 2000. Eliminated in February 2002 as part was transferred to route 1 N. Lamar / S. Congress and the rest was renumbered route 392 Braker.
252	Buckingham Slaughter	Became route 201 Southpark Meadows and section through Buckingham eliminated due to low ridership in January 2006.
275	North Lamar Feeder	Created from part of route 1 in 2014. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Now covered by route 1.
320	St. Johns	Renamed from route 120 St. Johns in February 2001; this replaced the St. Johns section of route 20 Manor Road/LBJ; route 120 extended east replacing route 208 East Austin Circulator in January 1998. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Now covered by new Route 322, rerouted Route 300, and new Route 337.
328	Ben White	Renamed from route 28 Ben White in February 2000. Paired with route 30 Barton Creek Square until August 2008, when all pairs were eliminated; as a result, route 328 was unpaired from route 30. Eliminated August 2010 and service west of Congress Avenue rerouted to Congress Transit Center and became an extension of route 30 Barton Creek Square. Service east of Congress Avenue remained and was rerouted to Congress Transit Center and was renamed route 228 Burleson.
331	Oltorf	High-frequency service (15 minutes weekdays, 20 minutes Saturdays) Renamed from route 31 Oltorf in February 2001. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap. Transferred to Routes 300 and 228.
338	Lamar / 45th	Was interlined with route 311 at southern terminus. Renamed from route 38 South Lamar in May 2001 due to rerouting away from downtown. Later, one section was renumbered Route 238 Westgate. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap.
339	Walnut Creek / Koenig	Renamed from route 39 Walnut Creek / Koenig in February 2001. Eliminated in August 2010; east of IH-35 became part of the 323 Anderson (renumbered from route 23 that day) and West of IH-35 became part of the 320 St. Johns. Number reused June 2018 when the 323 Anderson was split.
391	Parmer	Eliminated due to low ridership.
401	Sunset/3M Shuttle
402	Sunset/3M Shuttle
420	Convention Shuttle North
421	Convention Shuttle South
422	Convention Shuttle Town Lake
424	Sunrise/3M/Travis Square Shuttle
425	Sunrise/3M/Travis Square Shuttle
430	Pease Elem & Kealing
431	Campbell Elem & Kealing
432	TX Academy & Kealing
434	Barbara Jordan
435	Texas Academy
440	Tech Ridge Circulator
445	New Life Shuttle	Ran only during SXSW 2019.
450	Orange 'Dillo
451	Silver 'Dillo	Renamed from route 88 Old Pecan Street Dillo in May 2000. Number later reused.
451	Downtown/Saltillo Shuttle	Weekday service while Downtown station was closed. Late night service was only on Fridays. Eliminated in November 2019 after Downtown station reopened.
455	Red 'Dillo	Number later reused.
456	Gold 'Dillo
460	Downtown - Congress
461	Yellow 'Dillo	Number later reused.
461	Downtown - Guadalupe
462	Blue 'Dillo	Number later reused.
462	Downtown - Riverside
463	Starlight 'Dillo
464	Moonlight 'Dillo	Number later reused.
464	Capitol MetroRail Connector	Rush hour service. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap and replaced by route 18.
470	Tour the Town
470	Manor Flex	Eliminated in June 2019 and replaced by Pickup, where you can ride to any bus stop in the Pickup service area and take a bus from there.[41]
482	Night Owl East	Consolidated with route 485 Night Owl Cameron and section along Rosewood east of Airport, Springdale, 7th and other roads to Downtown eliminated.
495	Dell	Renumbered route 135 Dell Limited in January 2006.
499	Day Labor
970	Lantana Express	Rush hour reverse-peak service. Service southbound in the morning peak, and northbound in the afternoon peak. Some trips were interlined with Route 982 downtown. Eliminated on June 3, 2018 due to Remap, and low ridership. Was a revival of former Route 70.
983	North US 183 Express	Eliminated in January 2018 as the very first phase of Remap. Service now covered by the 981, 982, and 987.
984	Northwest Direct via IH35	Consolidated with Route 986 below to form Route 985 Leander/Lakeline Direct.
985	Leander/Downtown Express	Split into Routes 984 and 986 in August 2001.
986	Leander Direct via IH35	Consolidated with Route 984 above to form Route 985 Leander/Lakeline Direct.

Vehicles[]

The majority of the current bus fleet consists of vehicles produced by two manufacturers, Gillig and New Flyer, with only relatively small generational design variations, most visibly in the use of flip-dot destination displays on older series versus LED displays on newer buses. A few smaller series of buses were acquired from other manufacturers, notably Optima (used preferentially on MetroRail shuttles) and MCI (used on express services). Older bus series produced by TMC and Blue Bird are no longer in service.

Capital MetroRapid[]

In January 2014, Capital Metro launched a Bus Rapid Transit service branded "MetroRapid," utilizing articulated buses operating in shared lanes with automobile traffic. Service on the first route, MetroRapid North Lamar/South Congress (Route 801), began on January 26, 2014.^[48] It replaced existing bus Routes 1L and 1M, as well as the 101 Express, which traveled along the same corridor.

A second route, MetroRapid Burnet/South Lamar (Route 803), serves a total of 24 stations between The Domain and Westgate.^[49] Both the 801 and 803 drew citizen protest until premium fares were discontinued in 2017 and the 801 had also reduced frequency of the then operating 1L/1M.

Capital MetroRail[]

In 2004, Capital Metro won approval to build a commuter rail on existing freight rail lines. In September 2005, Capital Metro awarded a contract to Stadler Rail to build six diesel-electric rail cars for the system,^[50] each possessing a capacity of up to 200 passengers. The Capital MetroRail opened March 22, 2010. The rail system is expected to expand with the implementation of Project Connect.

Fare structure[]

Capital Metro operates routes using three different fare classes: Local, Commuter and Access. Fares are valid for a single trip only; Capital Metro does not issue bus transfers. However, Capital Metro offers passengers an unlimited ride day pass, good for travel on any route of the same or lower fare class, for the price of two single fares of the corresponding fare class. 24- hour, 7-day passes and 31-day passes are also available for frequent riders.

Passes may be purchased in physical form in select retailers, or at MetroRail stations (Commuter fare class only). Passes are also available for purchase when boarding a bus for the same or higher fare class. Passes may be purchased in digital form via the Capital Metro app.

All fare information is current as of January 2017.^[51]

Fare Type	Local	Commuter
Single Ride†	$1.25	$3.50
Reduced Single Ride†	$0.60	$1.75
24-Hour Pass†	$2.50	$7
Reduced Day Pass†	$1.25	$3.50
7-Day Pass	$11.25	$27.50
31-Day Pass	$41.25	$96.25
Reduced 31-Day Pass	$20.60	$48.10
A † indicates a fare a passenger can pay once on board a vehicle.

Holders of valid Reduced Fare IDs issued by Capital Metro (to seniors 65 and over, Medicare card holders, persons with disabilities, students 6–18 with valid school identification, and active and reserve military with valid ID) may ride Capital Metro services for half the listed price. Capital Metro also offer stored value tickets in denominations of $20 and $40.

Holders of physical passes must swipe the magnetic stripe on their pass when boarding a bus. Holders of stored value tickets must tap their tickets when boarding a bus. Holders of digital passes must scan their passes in a QR code reader aboard MetroRapid buses, or show the smartphone app red screen to the driver on all other buses. MetroRail operates on a proof-of-payment system; passengers must show proof upon request. Holders of the Reduced Fare ID may be asked to show Id.

Fares are waived for passengers under 6 with an accompanying adult (limit 3), as well as emergency and military personnel in uniform. Through separate paid agreements with Capital Metro, students, faculty, and staff of both the University of Texas and Austin Community College, as well as City of Austin employees, may ride all Capital Metro services for no charge with valid identification.

Capital MetroAccess, the paratransit system operated by Capital Metro, operates on a separate fare scale:

Fare Type	Price
Single Ride	$1.75
10-Ride Ticket Book	$17.50
Monthly Pass	$46.50

Persons eligible to use MetroAccess services may ride on Capital Metro buses and trains at the reduced rate. Holders of the MetroAccess monthly pass may use their pass as a Capital Metro 31-Day Commuter pass.

Finances and governance[]

Board of directors[]

In 2010 the total number of board members was increased from seven to eight. The Texas Legislature also reduced the number of elected officials who are required to serve on the board, and instituted new requirements regarding the professional experience of certain appointees. The board consists of three members appointed by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, including an elected official; one member representing the small cities in Capital Metro's service area; a member each appointed by the Travis County Commissioners and Williamson County commissioners; and two members appointed by the Austin City Council, in which one must be a member of the Austin City Council.^[52]

Labor relations[]

As a public entity, Capital Metro is prohibited by Texas law from entering into a traditional collective bargaining agreement with a labor union in the United States. In 1991, however, to comply fully with a state law prohibiting public entities from supervising unionized employees with collective bargaining rights,^[53] the Capital Metro board determined that its unionized employees and their supervisors should be transferred to a separate non-profit company. In January 1992, Capital Metro created Startran, Inc., a private entity that acts as the authority's agent in managing its unionized workforce.^[54]

On the other hand, Metro drivers and mechanics are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union, a major labor union representing workers in the transit system that boasts over 188,000 members representing workers.^[55][56] StarTran and the AUT have in the past had troubled contract negotiations, that most recently resulted in a general strike in November 2008.^[57]

In 2008, StarTran voted to begin a general strike, despite the fact that StarTran employees were already the highest paid bus operators in the state.^[58] Beginning on November 5, 2008, the strike caused the transit agency to reduce its fixed and paratransit service levels, particularly impacting Austin residents who had to use public transit.^[59] During the strike, the agency initially provided only those routes on the contingency map for a reduced number of hours but added others as resources became available. The Sunset Advisory Commission released its report on Capital Metro in April 2010.

Capital Metro also contracts with two other service providers for bus operations, First Transit, Veolia Transport and the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS). First Transit provides shuttle service for University of Texas students, faculty and staff.^[12]

Budget[]

2010 Actual Budget^[60]

Operating Revenues	$28.04 million
Passenger Fares	$9 million
Contract Fares	$6.76 million
MetroRail	$495,000
Freight Rail	$11.77 million
Operating Expenses	$164.70 million
Non-Operating Revenues	$178.23 million
Build Central Texas Program	$3.7 million
Change in Net Assets	$9.36 million

Future expansion[]

Plans have been circulating since a failed light rail vote in 2000 on urban rail in Austin. A vote on urban rail, a light rail or a streetcar system, was initially planned to be put to the voters as early as 2012.^[61] The light rail expansion plan was presented to voters but failed in 2014. Capital Metro began bus service to Round Rock in summer 2017.^[62]

In November 2020, Project Connect was approved by voters on the 2020 election ballot. The plan calls for 3 new light rail lines, 1 new commuter rail line, new MetroRapid bus routes, new regional park and rides, as well as last mile infrastructure investments.^[63]

COVID-19 Challenges[]

Coronavirus has put significant challenges on transit agency across the nation. Capital Metro had to scale back operations to a Sunday Schedule for majority of Summer 2020 with no Metrorail service on Saturdays (substituted with route 455 Leander-Lakeline Shuttle now discontinued . UT Shuttles and Night Owl services were also suspended during this time. During this time Capital Metro has been taking steps to protect passengers and operators from the Coronavirus. Shield Protectors have been installed on almost every MetroBus and Mobile scanners have been installed at both the rear and back doors to enhance all door boarding. Effective 8/16/2020, Capital Metro had most service return to normal service levels with some routes operating more frequent than others and with a few exceptions below:

• UT Routes 680, 681 & 682 will be suspended for Fall 2020
• All E Bus and Night Owl Services will be suspended for Fall 2020
• Express Bus Routes 980, 981 & 987 will remain suspended for Fall 2020
• Metro Flyer Route will continue to operate on a reduced weekday schedule
• Express Routes that are still in service are still operating on a reduced weekday schedule with the exception of Route 990 (Routes 935, 982, 985)

See also[]

• Texas Department of Transportation
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit
• Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

• Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority