The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service (under the name METROLift) in the city as well as most of Harris County. It also operates bus service to two cities in Fort Bend County, and to Conroe in Montgomery County. The Metro headquarters are in the Lee P. Brown Administration Building in Downtown Houston. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 77,189,800, or about 244,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
History
Louisiana Place (now Total Plaza), the previous Metro headquarters
The Texas State Legislature authorized the creation of local transit authorities in 1973. In 1978, Houston-area voters created Metro and approved a one-cent sales tax to support its operations. Metro opened for business in January 1979, taking over the bus service owned by the City of Houston known as HouTran. HouTran was plagued by outdated equipment, infrequent service and a route structure which failed to account for Houston's rapid population growth.[5]
Metro's service area encompasses 1,285 square miles (3,330 km2)[1] and also serves portions of an eight-county region with its vanpool service; the agency employs about 3,800 people.[5]
Executive leadership
Tom Lambert is the current President and CEO of the agency. Lambert was formally appointed in February 2014, although he had been operating as the agency's interim CEO since the beginning of 2013.[6] Lambert, a Houston native with a political science degree from Southwest Texas State University and master's in public administration from the University of Houston, joined Metro as a security investigator in 1979. He was named agency police chief in 1982, ultimately overseeing close to 100 officers, then moved into higher ranks of management.[7]
The Metro Board has nine members – five are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by Houston City Council, two are appointed by Harris County Commissioners Court, and two are appointed by the 14 mayors of Metro's smaller city members.
New Hybrid Bus in Houston Metro livery by Motor Coach Industries D4500CTHMETRO bus for routes with low ridership.METRO bus in 2022
Metro's local bus service usually runs on city streets, typically stopping at every other corner along its entire route. The bus system is the most used in Texas and the Southwest region.[citation needed] Metro also operates express bus routes on the Houston region's freeway high-occupancy vehicle lanes, which stop at park-and-ride lots.
Prior to the construction of Metrorail, Metro consisted of the largest all-bus fleet in the United States, only because Houston was the largest major city devoid of any rail transit since 1990.[citation needed]
Circa 1991 bus services for handicapped people were implemented.[8]
In 2015, the bus system was redesigned, eliminating low-ridership routes in favor of a high-frequency, high-demand bus network. This change was accomplished without any increase in operating costs.[9]
Local: Most Metro buses typically operate on city streets, with the majority of routes serving several of Houston's major employment centers. The routes are grid-like "crosstown" routes that travel from one part of the city to another, typically without entering downtown. Many routes were truncated to METRORail stations to eliminate duplicate service.
Express: A local limited stop service that serves key destinations but travel nonstop on freeway segments. They were formerly categorized as Limited prior to the 2015 restructuring of bus routes.
Park and Ride (Commuter): Metro operates express service between major destinations and outlying areas via high-occupancy vehicle lanes on regional freeways. Buses on these routes stop at park-and-ride lots, which also serve as transit centers.
Bus Rapid Transit: A pilot program introduced on June 1, 2009, to provide faster service with upgraded buses and fewer, more modern stops to busy corridors, beginning with a supplement of Route 2 (Bellaire), 402 Quickline Bellaire BRT. The second route in this system was a replacement of Route 33 (Post Oak), 433 Silver Line Post Oak BRT, which unlike Route 402, utilizes an exclusive busway for a majority of the route. The next planned line is the University Line, which is planned to start construction in 2025 and open in 2029. However, in June 2024, Metro announced that they had abandoned plans for the University Line.[10]
Routes
Metro's bus routes are numbered based on their service type and arranged in a grid. On August 24, 2015, Metro revamped their entire bus network with new routes and frequent service.[11] Under the new network, all local routes run 7 days a week with the exception of two express routes.
Metro provided the free Greenlink shuttle services in Downtown Houston, but discontinued the service in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Metro's express and commuter buses consist of 45-foot (14 m) MCI and New Flyer "Viking" buses, which have reclining seats, small individual lights, as well as small air conditioning vents for each seat. Viking buses went out of service in May 2015.[citation needed] In 2023, the bus system had a ridership of 61,171,600, or about 195,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
List of routes
2-99: Local routes
102-162: Express routes
202-298: Park and Ride routes
309-399: Shuttle and curb2curb routes
402, 433: Bus rapid transit (BRT) routes
Red indicated 15 minute-or-better frequencies
Blue indicated 15-30 minute frequencies
Green indicates 30-60 minute frequencies
Yellow indicates express bus routes
Gray indicates Park & Ride express routes or shuttles with no defined frequency
Metro has had a policy since its founding in which it refuses to place advertisements on buses, claiming that such a move would create an unsightly appearance on the buses. Metro had originally attempted to generate extra revenue by only advertising in its bus shelters, but a city ordinance blocked the decision. After a failed attempt to get permission to partially use advertisements on buses, Metro has since decided to continue enforcing its policy.[31]
Due to the lack of funding for METRORail expansion, the policy has been proposed to be expanded to light rail vehicles in order to generate additional revenue.[32] Metro began advertising the Houston Zoo on the side of three light rail vehicles in 2010.[33] In late September 2010, due to the decreased budget, Metro began to seriously consider advertising on their buses.
Rates
In the fall of 2006, Metro revealed plans to rework its fare system. The new system involves pre-paid fare cards (contactless smart cards), called Q Cards, that can be recharged on local buses and Metro TVMs. 3-hour passes are electronically added to the card each time it is used. Frequent users get "Rider Rewards" that offer five free rides for every 50 paid trips.
Senior citizens 65–69 will continue to receive a discounted rate as will disabled patrons. Senior citizens over 70 may ride for free. Children under 5 also ride for free when accompanied by an adult (limit 3). This was intended to keep the base fare low and phase out the previous fare system consisting of transfers (was reinstated from July 2015 to March 2016), as well as day (reinstated on October 7, 2013), weekly, monthly and annual passes, which occurred in early 2008. On November 2, 2008, local fares increased to $1.25 from $1. Currently another fare increase is being mulled as a means to pay for constructing the expansion of the light rail.[32]
Metro has been known for pioneering the use of express buses in HOV lanes. This was part of the reversible HOV lane concept that began in 1979 with the completion of the North Freeway (I-45) Contraflow Lane. This concept used the inside freeway lane of the "opposite" direction separated by traffic pylons and is closed to all vehicles except buses and vanpools. Although a head-on collision involving a car and a bus occurred in 1980, the concept became permanent, but with the HOV lanes separated from the rest of traffic with Jersey barriers.
Since Metro Express buses use them during rush hour, most routes lead to the Park and Ride lots and use "secret" HOV lane exits (often elevated T-intersections) that lead to the lots (also used by vehicles) without having to exit the freeway to street intersections. The HOV system will soon get an overhaul in the event of major freeway construction to take place in Houston and may have HOV lanes in both directions with the concept of HOT (Toll) lanes introduced.
In 2011, Metro began conversion of the HOV lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. Commuters with only one person in a vehicle will be able to pay a toll to use the lanes when the conversion is complete.
METROLift
A typical Metro Lift vehicle
Metro Lift provides transportation needs for people with a disability, who cannot board, or ride from a regular Metro bus. The Metro Lift vehicles are shared-ride, meaning that they take multiple customers and groups. Metro tells its customers to use standard Metro bus services whenever possible. Metro Lift uses special vehicles that are distinct from fixed-route Metro buses.[35] The Authority's METROLift paratransit service will have provided 1.9 million trips to 16,178 eligible riders in FY2017, using both METRO-owned lift-equipped vans and contractor-owned and operated accessible minivans.[36]
Metro offers a trip planner on its web site that provides information for public transit in the region it serves. It is multi-modal, combining schedule information for buses and rail. Riders enter their intended origin and destination, along with optional time, date, the trip planner displays, itineraries showing the stops, departure and arrival times, times to get from the origin to the destination and other information.
Today, the average daily weekday ridership is 59,753 and 18.3 million annually. On November 9, 2007, Metro surpassed its 40 million boardings mark, something it did not expect to happen until 2020. Notable records in ridership have occurred on the following dates:[37]
February 1, 2004: 64,005 passengers rode Metro during Super Bowl XXXVIII
February 23, 2004: 54,193 passenger boardings were recorded, the highest weekday at the time
February 4, 2017: 109,417 passengers were recorded during festivities preceding Super Bowl LI.[38]
November 3, 2017: 125,000 passengers were recorded the day of the parade for the Houston Astros, champions of the 2017 World Series.[38]
METRORail lines
The Red Line along Main Street
Metro currently operates three light rail lines: the Red Line, Purple Line and Green Line. The Red Line, the Authority's first light rail line, began operation on January 1, 2004. Now extended to 12.8 miles, the line begins at the Northline Transit Center, serving HCC Northeast and Northline Commons mall, and then continues south through Houston's Central Business District, Midtown, the Museum District, Rice University, the Texas Medical Center and the NRG Park Complex to the Fannin South Transit Center [36] It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the DART system. The arrival of Metro light rail comes approximately sixty years after the previous streetcar system was shut down, which left Houston as the largest city in the United States without a rail system since 1990, when Los Angeles' Blue Line opened.
Metro opened two additional light rail lines in 2015, the Purple (Southeast) and Green (East End) Lines. Destinations served by these new lines include Texas Southern University, the University of Houston, PNC Stadium, and the Theater District. These new lines added another 9.9 miles of light rail. In total, Metro operates 22.7 miles of light rail service. Metro will reach approximately 18.6 million light rail boardings in FY17.[36]
Two other lines were to be completed by 2012, but funding issues dropped the number to the northern extension of the Red Line and two of the original four new lines.[39][40] The extension of the Red Line was opened on December 21, 2013[41] and the East End/Green Line opened on May 23, 2015.[42] Due to federal investigations and the lack of funds, the plans may degenerate further.[43] Three of the five lines were previously going to be bus-rapid transit, but due to high ridership possibilities, the decision was made to make them all light rail.
METRO Solutions was a regional transit plan approved by voters in November 2003 by a 52–48 vote.[44][45] The plan proposed:
64.8 miles (104 km) of Light Rail Transit
8 miles (13 km) of Commuter Rail Transit (CRT)
9 New Transit Centers
9 New Park & Rides Lots
250 miles of two-way HOV lanes
In June 2005, METRO announced a revised plan for expansion of the METRORail system. The plan included one new light rail corridor and three bus rapid transit corridors. The bus rapid transit lines would have later been converted into light rail when ridership warranted the conversion.
On October 18, 2007, the plan was revised to allow for the possibility of more federal funding. METRO decided to have all the lines consist of light rail from the start after some public backlash to the agency turning back from its original plans of light rail corridors.[46]
By 2017, only 15 miles of light rail were completed with no commuter rail lines established.[45] 8 new transit centers, 7 new park & ride lots, and only one new two-way HOV corridor were completed as well.
METRONext
The public with a 68% vote approved the METRONext plan in November 2019.[47] The plan calls for:[48][49]
110 miles of Regional Express Network, including two-way HOV lanes
21 new or improved Park & Ride lots and Transit Centers
16 miles of light rail expansion
75 miles of a bus rapid transit network METRORapid
290 miles of BOOST and Signature bus service
The referendum authorized the agency to issue up to $3.5 billion in bonds to pay for the projects while the remaining $4 billion will come from federal grants and local funds.[48]
Metro Police
Metro Police automobile
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2008)
Metro operates its own police department. With over 185 Texas peace officers and 88 non-sworn, civilian employees, the department's main goal is to ensure safety and security on the transit system. The department was established in 1982 and is accredited with the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA), one of only five public transit police departments in North America to be so.[50]
State law grants Metro Police jurisdiction in the counties in which Metro is located, provides services, or is supported by a general sales and use tax.[51] As peace officers, state law also grants Metro Police the power to arrest without warrant for any felony, breach of the peace, disorderly conduct or intoxication offense that is committed in their presence or view while in Texas.[52] They may also make an arrest pursuant to a warrant anywhere in Texas.[53]
The Metro headquarters are in the Lee P. Brown Administration Building in Downtown Houston.[54] The $41 million 14 story glass and steel building has over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of space. The facility includes the Downtown Transit Center, a Metro Ride store, a Houston Police Department storefront and toilets for transiting passengers.[55] The building was designed by Pierce Goodwin Alexander & Linville.[56] As of August 2010, two floors of the building are not occupied and are not used in any way.[57]
The building was scheduled to open in early 2004, coinciding with the beginning of the METRORail. The groundbreaking was held in 2002. Patti Muck, a spokesperson for METRO, said that the agency would save $273 million, assuming that the agency occupied the building for a 30-year span instead of renting for the same length of time.[55] The Federal Transit Administration,[56] a part of the federal government of the United States, paid 80% of the construction costs,[55] while Metro paid the other 20%.[56]
The “Houston in Harmony” mural[58]l in honor of Mayor Lee P Brown was commissioned by the Honey Brown Hope Foundation and its founder, Tammie Lang Campbell, in 1999. It was moved March 23, 2005, to the Lee P. Brown Metropolitan Transit Authority Administration Building, where it is on permanent display.
Previously the Metro headquarters were in the Louisiana Place (now the Total Plaza[59]), also in Downtown Houston.[60][61] The agency occupied 10 floors in the building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the $3.8 million annual rent.[55] The Metro Board Room was located on the 16th floor.[62]Total Petrochemicals USA, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, moved into the space that was previously occupied by METRO; the agency scheduled its move into the Brown building to occur in January 2005.[63] Metro's lease of 193,000 square feet (17,900 m2) of space expired in April 2005.[56]
Ridership and demographics
A Regional Fixed Route Transit Rider survey sponsored by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), in partnership with METRO, was completed in 2017. Over 22,000 riders were surveyed—the most expansive ever conducted on a regional basis—and included eight regional fixed-route transit agencies which operate in H-GAC's eight-county region.[64] The survey found that 58 percent of riders use transit to get to work, 20 percent use it for shopping or personal business, and about 10 percent of riders use a bus or train to get to school. 88 percent of riders reported that they rode transit at least three days per week with almost 50 percent of riders riding at least five days per week. The survey's findings concluded that 88 percent of all the trips were directly contributing to the region's economy.[65]
Member cities
Metro provides transportation services to fifteen member cities, as well as some unincorporated portions of Harris County.[66] Metro's service area pays a 1¢ sales tax to fund the agency's operations.[67]
In addition to the city of Houston, Metro serves fourteen cities in the Greater Houston area, collectively termed the "Multi-Cities":[66]
Metro also operates a park-and-ride shuttle between Houston and Conroe. However, Conroe is not a formal member; instead, the shuttle is funded on a yearly basis through an interlocal agreement.[68]
^Ryan, Molly (February 24, 2014). "Houston Metro officially names new CEO". Houston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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