Riders, Riders Everywhere

A letter to the editor in today’s Austin American-Statesman stated that Capital Metro is not addressing the increased ridership growth, specifically on Route 935. Since the Statesman prefers to keep letters to about 150 words, we’ll use some extra space on the blog to take a closer look.

First, it’s important to remember that when we assign buses, we have many routes to consider. If we solely address the needs of Route 935, then we’d be neglecting other routes with the same issues. We have to look at the system and make decisions based on ridership and safety. And yes, don't forget about the "b" word (budget).

Capital Metro monitors ridership very closely to make sure we match the largest buses with the busiest routes whenever possible (there are other factors to consider; for example, some streets and intersections cannot safely accommodate larger buses).

Staff worked diligently over the summer to respond to customer and bus operator feedback about crowded buses by:

1. Reinstating some trips on routes 982 and 983 that we normally scale back in the summer
2. Sending an extra bus to supplement route 935 during the morning rush
3. Adding an extra bus to route 990 (this particular route normally operates with smaller vehicles and limited trips)
4. Purchasing an extra 45-foot express bus which went into service about a month ago

This is in addition to making tweaks to bus assignments on a regular basis.

We’re not finished. Just a few days ago, our Board of Directors approved the purchase of eight 40-foot buses which we hope to add to the fleet in the next few months. And we’re still looking at other possibilities to supplement our fleet.

Are we still facing challenges with crowded buses? You bet, especially now that we’re in our fall schedules and school is back.

Getting back to the budget, the massive increase in fuel costs also affects how we're able to respond to service growth. Diesel fuel prices have increased more than 336 percent in the past five years. Fuel is expected to be about 14 percent of our total operating budget in the upcoming fiscal year.

You can be sure that Capital Metro will continue to work hard to address the needs of our community as resources allow. Read more

StarTran and the Transit Union to Continue Discussions

StarTran and the transit union have agreed to continue contract negotiations and have set a date to meet, on Sept. 10.

At this time, Capital Metro does not anticipate a service disruption, as we're hopeful that StarTran and the union will work together in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.


It is in the best interests of everyone, especially the Austin community, that the buses keep rolling! Read more

Get on the E-Bus to avoid the BAT bus!

Yesterday Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo and his staff brought over the BAT (Breath Alcohol Testing) bus to Capital Metro headquarters for some show and tell.

Are you familiar with the Austin Police Department’s BAT bus? Here's a KXAN video tour of the bus.

I advise watching the video, because the only other way to see it up close and personal is if you are escorted there in handcuffs, and it won’t be Christian Bale to show you around but one of APD’s finest. The BAT bus is a mobile mini police station specifically for the processing of those arrested for DWI. Officers can handle paperwork and administer the breathalyzer test at the bus, greatly reducing the amount of processing time required at the jailhouse. Because it’s mobile, APD can target specific neighborhoods (read: Downtown) as needs arise.

Police Chief Art Acevedo, Assistant Chief David Carter and Commander Troy Gay show Capital Metro CEO Fred Gilliam the BAT bus.

Police Chief Acevedo addressed the Capital Metro Board yesterday to thank them for the successful partnership that APD and Capital Metro have enjoyed. You may recall last month we detailed the training class we held to help police officers prepare for operating the BAT bus and obtain their commercial drivers licenses. The BAT bus itself was also donated to APD by Capital Metro, and in July it went on its maiden run. On a Friday or Saturday night, around 1:30 in the morning, police cars start streaming into the parking lot where the bus is parked, according to one officer. As many as 25 people a night might have a brief layover at the BAT bus before getting whisked off to the pokey.

Of course, you can avoid the threat of getting hauled to the BAT bus altogether by leaving the keys at home and taking Capital Metro. Tonight, Capital Metro's three E-Bus routes start up for UT's Fall 2009 semester. Although anyone can ride the E-Bus, it predominately serves college students and ferries them safely to/from the downtown entertainment district and the UT Main Campus, West Campus, and East Riverside neighborhoods. E-Bus Routes operate from about 8:30 p.m. to approximately 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights when school is in session (except holidays). An average of 2,000 riders a night make use of the service, unclogging downtown and making Austin streets safer.

And don't forget about the six Night Owls, which operate every night of the week except Monday nights and serve the downtown entertainment district and neighborhoods all over the city, from about midnight to 3:30 a.m. Catch a local route to downtown, and then ride a Night Owl home. Check out the Night Owl maps and schedules. Read more

Nostalgic Silver 'Dillo farewell

One of the benefits of working for Capital Metro is that you get free travel on all our buses. We just show our ID to the operator. Throw in the high cost of gasoline and the fact that my wife and I only own one car and I’ve become a regular rider in the 15 months since I started here. I do drive occasionally, but I find that having “bus time” to read the paper or listen to something on my iPod or just chill out is something that I look forward to. As a Cap Metro employee, riding for me is also a great way to better understand our system, facilities, and customers.

Until Friday I had three options to get to the Capital Metro building at Pleasant Valley and East 5th Street. I could take the 331 from near my house off South Lamar over to the 300 from East Oltorf and Burton, or ride the 3 downtown and catch either the 17 or the Silver ‘Dillo east to our building. During the day if I needed to run downtown it was always great to be able to catch either the 17 or the ‘Dillo.

But part of my routine changed over the weekend. As I waited for the 5:11 Silver ‘Dillo to take me downtown to meet friends after work this past Friday I realized that it was going to be the last time I rode the Silver ‘Dillo – that in fact as of this weekend there is no more Silver ‘Dillo. The ‘Dillo routes have all be reworked (more details can be found here) and while I agree with reasons behind the restructuring it meant that I had one less option for my own travel.

So my last Silver ‘Dillo on Friday evening was uneventful. That it was a rainy evening was the only thing unusual about the trip. There were probably 9 passengers on the bus when I got on, and it varied between 8 and 14 as we made our way through the eastside and then downtown. As we neared downtown I looked around and saw a pretty representative assortment of Austinites – there was a guy in a sleeveless shirt who had with him a blue furniture dolly (what was that about?); a couple of young guys both headed downtown to go out who got on separately but knew each other; a girl who had her nose in some sort of textbook, two construction workers in their work boots done for the day; and a Capital Metro driver just along for the ride heading to Congress Ave to pick up the bus he would be driving for the evening from another driver.

Friday traffic and vans unloading speakers and equipment in front of the bars along 6th slowed us down -- another Friday night was kicking off. After we crossed Congress I pulled the cord and hopped off at West 6th and Rio Grande in front of Katz’ Deli and said farewell to the Silver ‘Dillo. Then I shot a quick glance over to the two young guys who had gotten off with me and hoped that I hadn’t said it out loud.
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The South Congress Transit Center Opens for Business

This morning (and several days last week) Capital Metro staff were stationed at some key bus stops to help riders get on the right buses after the significant service changes that became effective yesterday.

One of the outreach locations was the new South Congress Transit Center on Ben White west of Congress, whose central clock tower is reminiscent of Austin's historic moon towers.

The new facility has a kiss and ride drop off area and some limited parking (including motorcycles and scooters) for customers, with priority parking for RideShare carpoolers.

Six routes serve the new facility: 1L, 1M, 9, 101, 328, and new route 202. Capital Metro plans to add more routes in the future. This morning, in addition to handing out Krispy Kreme donuts to celebrate the opening, Capital Metro staff directed riders to the correct bus bays and answered other questions.

Some of the other amenities at the South Congress Transit Center include bike racks, emergency call boxes, vending machines, and native plant landscaping.

As one of my favorite transportation planners here summed it up, "The facility looks really great." Here, here! I hope customers like it, too.
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Capital Metro Services Running on Schedule

I was happy to see the bus rolling down my street this morning--Capital Metro bus and paratransit services are running as scheduled. Last night, the transit union did reject the final contract offer from StarTran, Inc.; however, contract negotiations may resume.

If a strike occurs, StarTran and Capital Metro are prepared to serve the public by operating key bus routes. The most current route information will be posted on the Capital Metro Web site. Read more

Important Notice for Capital Metro Customers

Today, as the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1091 (ATU 1091) votes on StarTran’s final contract offer, Capital Metro customers can continue to depend on service. Should a service interruption occur, StarTran and Capital Metro are prepared to serve the public by operating key bus routes.

Capital Metro remains hopeful that the union and StarTran can come to an agreement; however, customers should be prepared for possible transit service disruption. Capital Metro cannot predict if or when a strike may occur, but the Authority will be ready to operate on a reduced level of service to provide coverage to the busiest routes and those that serve major destinations such as hospitals, schools, the central business district, and areas with a high number of riders.

In the event of a transit union strike, Capital Metro will operate a basic network of bus routes daily from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at least every 45 minutes. No fares will be charged during a strike. UT Shuttle routes and the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) services are expected to operate as originally scheduled. UT Shuttle routes are available to the general public and may provide viable transportation options in lieu of riders’ regular routes.

Information about specific routes in operation during a strike will be maintained on the Capital Metro Web site.

Capital Metro will assign staff to park and ride facilities and other major transfer points to assist customers in the event of a strike.

Read more