Public Transportation

Cap Metro Could Raise Rates

Andrew Weber — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:58:58 +0000

You may have to dig out another quarter to board a bus in Austin.

Capital Metro Transit Authority met today to hear a proposal that could bump up fares over the next two years.

Though the transit board won’t approve anything until September, the possible move to raise rates by 25% could net as much as $2.2 million annually.

Austin Summit to Tackle Transportation Troubles

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:38:00 +0000

Reducing morning traffic congestion is just one of many ideas that will be discussed Friday at the Texas Lyceum conference in Austin. The non-profit, non-partisan statewide group is hosting a summit on transportation.

Among the featured speakers is Dennis Christiansen. He’s director of the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Christiansen says more roads aren’t the only answer.

Austin Ranks 31st in Walkability

Andrew Weber — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:29:08 +0000

It’s official. Austin’s not very walkable.

In fact, it’s no walker’s paradise, according to a national survey.

According to the Walk Score national survey, Austin garnered only a “car-dependent” 47 percent ranking out of 100 -- ranking 31^st out of the 50 biggest cities in the U.S.

Cap Metro Says New Highway Bill is Good for Austin Transit

Mary Mattia — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:44:29 +0000

Capital Metro is celebrating the recent passage of a federal highway bill. The bill authorizes $105 billion for spending on transportation projects nationwide over a two-year period

The new transportation law is called "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century" or MAP-21.

Capital Metro says the law provides much-needed stability. Capital Metro officials say MAP-21 gives a stable source of funding that's necessary for projects like bus and facility improvements.

Green Light For Red Line Service on Friday and Saturday Nights

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:47:56 +0000

Capital Metro’s Red Line will start running late into the evening on Fridays and Saturdays. Austin City Council voted 6-1 this evening on this resolution directing city staff to finalize the deal with Cap Metro. Kathie Tovo was the only council member to vote against the proposal.

The new schedule will see commuter trains run hourly from 7 p.m. until midnight on Fridays. On Saturdays, they'll run every 35 minutes 4 p.m. until midnight. That schedule takes effect Friday, March 23.

Commuter Rail on Friday and Saturday Nights? City Closer To Footing Bill

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:52:43 +0000

Austin’s public transit agency has known for a while that its fledgling commuter rail service could see a lot more riders if they let people take the train on Friday and Saturday nights. Back in May, we reported on how Capital Metro broke ridership records when they did that during the Pecan Street Festival.

But the problem was always money. Six months ago, the cost estimates were around $1 million annually for Friday and Saturday night service.

“That’s arguably a million dollars we don’t have,” Cap Metro Board Chair and Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez told us in May. The head of Cap Metro, Linda Watson, said the agency was in talks with the city to secure funding.

Fast forward to the present, and costs estimates are now closer to $2.7 million per year, but it appears the city is willing to pay for it.

Revived Group Aims To Coordinate Regional Public Transit

Erika Aguilar, KUT News — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:46:26 +0000

As if awaking from a two year hibernation, a sub-committee of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) held its first meeting this afternoon with a new leader and new members. The Transit Working Group (TWG) was restored in time to prepare for Austin’s soon-to-come vote on an urban rail system.

The working group was first established in 2007 under Austin Mayor Will Wynn. He decided the city needed an urban rail or street car system. But nothing really came out of it. Now, Mayor Lee Leffingwell is leading the TWG.

“The big difference between this group and the one of that before is our focus is going to be regional,” Leffingwell said.

Why Can't Austin Have This Elaborate Subway System?

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:11:20 +0000

A piece of wall art making the rounds online depicts a subway system for Austin that would put this city’s public transit system on par with densely populated cities in the Northeast. The creation is produced and sold by Transit Authority Figures, based in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The poster had many people wondering aloud why Austin couldn’t just go ahead and build a world class subway system. We called up Capital Metro’s vice president of strategic planning and development Todd Hemingson and asked him ourselves.

KUT News: Why can’t we have an amazing subway system like this in Austin?

Urban Rail Prototype Displayed

Katrina Tollin, Kelsey Sheridan and Daniel Reese — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:23:44 +0000

People got a chance to climb aboard the possible future of Austin's mass transit system on Thursday. Kinkisharyo, a Japanese-based streetcar manufacturer, is taking its new prototype on an American tour.

The streetcar runs on a combination of power from batteries and overhead wires, storing energy when the train brakes and eliminating the need for overhead wires in parts of the route, Kinkisharyo project manager Bill Kleppinger said.

Texas Gets $15 Million for High-Speed Rail

Ian Crawford, KUT News — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:14:07 +0000

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $2 billion worth of funding today to expand high-speed intercity rail travel. $15 million of that is coming to Texas.

Visualize How Far Can You Go On A Bus In 15 Minutes

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:14:38 +0000

We can quibble about the accuracy of this tool, but it definitely an interesting way to visualize public transit data. French software developer Stefan Wehrmeyer invented a Google Maps mashup that shows how far you can travel by public transit or on foot from any given point on the map.

Go here and just drag the marker to any place, then use the time slider in the bottom right to adjust the size of the blotch.

Here's their video explaining the concept.

Tell Cap Metro What You Think About Fare Hikes

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:57:55 +0000

Capital Metro is holding another public hearing tonight on a proposal to increase the price of taking public transit. The hikes are intended to help Cap Metro balance its FY 2011 budget. Most of the agency's operating revenue comes from local sales tax. Cap Metro says that's an unreliable source of income because of fluctuations in consumer spending.