Houston Metro

Not to be confused with Greater Houston.

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Overview
Locale	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Transit type	Bus, light rail, paratransit, express lanes
Number of lines	83 local bus routes 31 commuter bus routes 3 light rail lines 1 community connector 1 bus rapid transit line
Number of stations	44 (light rail) 12 (bus rapid transit) 27 (park and rides) 21 (transit centers)
Daily ridership	240,200 (weekdays, Q1 2024) [1]
Annual ridership	77,189,800 (2023) [2]
Headquarters	1900 Main St. Lee P. Brown Administration Building Downtown Houston, Texas
Website	ridemetro.org
Operation
Began operation	January 1, 1979 (45 years ago)
Number of vehicles	1,233 (bus) 76 (light rail) [3]

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (stylized as 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 240,200 per weekday as of the first 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 HouTran was plagued by outdated equipment, infrequent service and a route structure which failed to account for Houston's rapid population growth. ^[4]

Metro's service area encompasses 1,285 square miles (3,330 km²) ^[5] and also serves portions of an eight-county region with its vanpool service; the agency employs about 3,800 people. ^[4]

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.

Metro Bus

New Hybrid Bus in Houston Metro livery by Motor Coach Industries D4500CTH

METRO 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]

Service types

Metro Quickline

• 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 189,500 per weekday as of the first 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
• Coral indicates BRT (bus rapid transit) routes

Multiple colors indicate that portions of the route have different frequencies from one another.

Route #	Route Name	Terminal 1	Terminal 2	via	Length	Ridership (FY 2023) [13]	Notes
2	Bellaire	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Juniper Point Mission Bend Transit Center	Bellaire Blvd (Holcombe Blvd)	14.3 miles (23.0 km)	1,937,131	[14]
3	Langley-Little York	Fairbanks/Northwest Crossing Hollister Street & Little York Road	Northside Village Burnett Transit Center	W Little York Rd	27.2 miles (43.8 km)	518,411
4	Beechnut	Greater Eastwood Eastwood Transit Center	Juniper Point Mission Bend Transit Center	Beechnut St, N Braeswood Blvd	22.3 miles (35.9 km)	2,105,502
5	Southmore	Midtown Wheeler Transit Center	Allendale Flagstone Terrace and South Richey Street	Southmore Blvd, Griggs Rd, Long Dr	14.8 miles (23.8 km)	325,940
6	Jensen/Greens	Downtown Downtown Transit Center	Greater Greenspoint Greenspoint Transit Center	Jensen Dr, Greens Rd	25.6 miles (41.2 km)	968,350
7	West Airport	Willow Meadows West Loop Transit Center	Greater Fondren Southwest Fondren Meadow Drive & Gessner Road	Airport Blvd	6.3 miles (10.1 km)	211,315
8	West Bellfort	South Main Fannin South Transit Center	Greater Fondren Southwest West Bellfort Park and Ride	Bellfort Avenue (West)	10.3 miles (16.6 km)	856,180
9	Gulfton/Holman	Greater Eastwood Eastwood Transit Center	Sharpstown Bonhomme Road & Clarewood Drive	Holman St, US 59, Gulfton St	15.5 miles (24.9 km)	622,242
10	Willowbend	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Greater Fondren Southwest Sandpiper Drive & Willowbend Boulevard	Holcombe Blvd, Stella Link Rd, Willowbend Blvd	9.1 miles (14.6 km)	162,358
11	Almeda/Lyons	Central Southwest Hiram Clarke Transit Center	Northshore Dividend Street & Currency Street	Almeda Rd, Lyons Av	21.6 miles (34.8 km)	648,627
14	Hiram Clarke	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Central Southwest Hiram Clarke Transit Center	Main St, Hiram Clarke Rd	9.5 miles (15.3 km)	453,014
20	Canal/Memorial	Bellaire Chimney Rock Road & Bellaire Boulevard	Magnolia Park Magnolia Park Transit Center	S Rice Av, Memorial Dr (East), Canal St	18.7 miles (30.1 km)	596,206
23	Clay/West 43rd	Northline Northline Transit Center	Spring Branch Central Pitner Road & Roma Street	Crosstimbers, West 43rd St, Clay Road	9.1 miles (14.6 km)	132,918
25	Richmond	Greater Eastwood Eastwood Transit Center	Westchase Meadowglen Lane & Hayes Road	Wheeler Ave, Richmond Ave	17.8 miles (28.6 km)	1,863,966
			Juniper Point Mission Bend Transit Center		20.9 miles (33.6 km)
26	Long Point/Cavalcade	Houston Gardens Kashmere Transit Center	Memorial City Memorial City Way & Barryknoll Lane	Cavalcade St (East 20th St), West 18th St, Long Point Rd	17.4 miles (28.0 km)	992,040
27	Shepherd	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park and Ride	Greenbriar Dr (SB), Durham Dr (SB), Shepherd Dr	13 miles (21 km)	749,540
28	OST - Wayside	South Central Houston Ben Taub Hospital	Greater Fifth Ward 5th Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center	Old Spanish Trail, Wayside Drive	13.8 miles (22.2 km)	767,706
29	Cullen/Hirsch	Houston Gardens Kashmere Transit Center	Crestmont Park MLK Jr. Boulevard & Madden Lane	Hirsch Rd, Cullen Blvd	17.8 miles (28.6 km)	837,038
30	Clinton/Ella	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park and Ride	Clinton Park Mississippi Street & Clinton Drive	Wheatley St (Ella Blvd), E 11th St, Clinton Dr	20.8 miles (33.5 km)	211,761
32	Renwick/San Felipe	Downtown Pierce Street & Travis Street	Meyerland Caversham Drive & Chimney Rock Road	W Gray St, San Felipe St, Fountain View Dr (Renwick Dr)	13.2 miles (21.2 km)	503,564	Proposed to spilt into 2 routes (see 32 and 35)
32	Renwick	Mid West Winsome Lane & Fountain View Drive	Willow Meadows West Loop Transit Center	Renwick Dr			To be implemented in the September 2024 service change and operate every 15 mins (Red)
35	San Felipe	Mid West Winsome Lane & Fountain View Drive	Downtown Pierce Street & Travis Street	W Gray St, San Felipe St			To be implemented in the September 2024 service change and operate every 60 mins (Green)
36	Kempwood	Houston Gardens Kashmere Transit Center	Westbranch Westway Park Boulevard & Capital Park Drive	Kempwood Dr (East 34th St), Crosstimbers St	19.3 miles (31.1 km)	876,432
38	Manchester-Lawndale	Magnolia Park Magnolia Park Transit Center	Harrisburg/Manchester Manchester Docks	Lawndale St	6.2 miles (10.0 km)	38,761
39	Katy Freeway	Spring Branch Central Northwest Transit Center	Memorial City Britoak Lane & Yorkchester Drive	Katy Freeway Service Road	10.8 miles (17.4 km)	77,533
40	Telephone/Heights	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park and Ride	Meadowbrook/Allendale Monroe Park & Ride	Yale St, Heights Blvd, Polk St, Telephone Rd	25.9 miles (41.7 km)	1,101,364	Interlined with 41 from Waugh Dr to Eastwood TC
41	Kirby/Polk	Greater Eastwood Eastwood Transit Center	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Polk St, W Dallas St, Kirby Dr	13 miles (21 km)	349,276	Interlined with 40 from Waugh Dr to Eastwood TC
44	Acres Homes	Downtown Pierce Street & Main Street	Cypress Crossing Lone Star College-University Park	N Main St, Montgomery Rd, Tomball Pkwy (SH 249)	23.1 miles (37.2 km)	696,945
45	Tidwell	Brookhollow West West Little York Park and Ride	East Houston Mesa Transit Center	Tidwell Rd	19.1 miles (30.7 km)	1,130,037
46	Gessner		Greater Fondren Southwest Fondren Meadow Drive & Gessner Road	Gessner Rd	16.3 miles (26.2 km)	2,023,344
47	Hillcroft	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Westbury Greencraig Drive & Hillcroft Avenue	Woodway Dr, Voss Rd (Hillcroft Ave)	12.8 miles (20.6 km)	974,974
48	Market	Downtown Franklin Street & Milam Street	Pleasantville Pleasantville Drive & Market Street	Market St	8.6 miles (13.8 km)	137,547	Pleasantville routing alters during AM or PM
49	Chimney Rock/S. Post Oak	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Ridgemont Court Road & South Post Oak Road	Chimney Rock Rd, Bering Dr, S Post Oak Rd	17.3 miles (27.8 km)	734,836
50	Broadway	Greater Eastwood Eastwood Transit Center	Hobby Transit Center	Broadway St, Polk St	9.6 miles (15.4 km)	614,533
51	Hardy - Kelley	Downtown Downtown Transit Center	Kashmere Gardens Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital	Hardy/Elysian Sts, Kelley St	7.8 miles (12.6 km)	206,868	Interlined with 52 from Downtown TC to Kashmere TC
52	Hardy - Ley		East Houston Mesa Transit Center	Hardy/Elysian Sts, Ley Rd, Hirsch Rd	19.3 miles (31.1 km)	619,353	Interlined with 51 from Downtown TC to Kashmere TC
54	Scott	Downtown Downtown Transit Center	Central Southwest Hiram Clarke Transit Center	Scott St, Almeda Genoa Rd	14.2 miles (22.9 km)	1,594,105
56	Airline/Montrose	Northline Northline Transit Center	Greenspoint Greenspoint Transit Center	Airline Drive	11.4 miles (18.3 km)	1,625,684
		Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center		Airline Dr, Studewood St (Montrose Bl)	21.6 miles (34.8 km)
58	Hammerly	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Westbranch Westway Park Boulevard & Capital Park Drive	Hammerly Blvd	10.8 miles (17.4 km)	135,260
59	Aldine Mail	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park and Ride	Eastex Aldine Mail Route & US Route 59	Aldine Mail Route Road	11.7 miles (18.8 km)	123,608
60	Cambridge	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Astrodome Area El Camino Street & Holly Hall Street	Cambridge St, Holly Hall St	4.4 miles (7.1 km)	421,490
			South Union Southeast Transit Center	Cambridge St, Holly Hall St, Tierwester St	6.8 miles (10.9 km)
63	Fondren	Mid West Old Farm Road & Westheimer Road	Fondren Gardens Missouri City Park & Ride	Fondren Rd	9.6 miles (15.4 km)	1,178,347
64	Lincoln City	Acres Homes Acres Homes Transit Center	Garden City Park McCrarey Drive & Montgomery Road	Wheatley St, De Priest St, Dewalt St	8.8 miles (14.2 km)	22,704
65	Bissonnet	Midtown Wheeler Transit Center	Crescent Park Village Beckford Drive & Newbrook Layover	Bissonnet St	15.5 miles (24.9 km)	1,542,828
66	Quitman	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Greater Fifth Ward 5th Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center	White Oak Dr (Quitman St)	12.6 miles (20.3 km)	113,049	Was 66 Studewood before the 2015 route change
67	Dairy Ashford	Alief Dairy View Lane & Bissonnet Street	Addicks Park Ten Addicks Park & Ride	Dairy Ashford Rd (Park Row Drive)	9.9 miles (15.9 km)	131,318
68	Braeswood	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	Alief Elmsworth Drive & South Course Drive (other times)	Braeswood Blvd	11.8 miles (19.0 km)	541,466
			Alief El Franco Lee Clinic (weekday daytime)		13.8 miles (22.2 km)		Was 68 Brays Bayou but renamed in the 2015 New Bus Network
70	Memorial	Spring Branch Central Northwest Transit Center	Spring Branch West Business Center Drive & Westview Circle Drive	Memorial Dr (Central)	11.7 miles (18.8 km)	69,539
71	Cottage Grove	Spring Branch Central Hempstead Transit Center	Memorial Park Koehler Street & Bass Street	Hempstead Rd	5.9 miles (9.5 km)	2,597	Planned to be discontinued in September 2024 due to low ridership
72	Westview	Spring Branch Central Northwest Transit Center	Spring Branch West Business Center Drive & Westview Circle Drive	Westview Dr	10.1 miles (16.3 km)	98,144
73	Bellfort	South Main Fannin South Transit Center	Hobby Transit Center	Bellfort Avenue (East)	9.4 miles (15.1 km)	1,342,006
75	Eldridge	Addicks Park Ten Addicks Park & Ride	Eldridge/West Oaks West Oaks Mall	Eldridge Pkwy	13.9 miles (22.4 km)	167,350
76	Evergreen	Magnolia Park Magnolia Park Transit Center	Allendale Howard Drive & Sweetbriar Street	Evergreen Dr, Winkler Dr	10.7 miles (17.2 km)	297,645
77	Homestead	Greater Fifth Ward 5th Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center	Homestead Hartwick Road & Homestead Road	Homestead Rd	10.9 miles (17.5 km)	129,882
78	Wayside	Greater Fifth Ward 5th Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center	East Houston Brock Park Drive & Tidwell Road	Wayside Dr	9.7 miles (15.6 km)	127,124
79	Irvington	Northside Village Burnett Transit Center	Eastex-Jensen Aldine Westfield Road & Pine Tree Drive	Irvington Blvd	10.7 miles (17.2 km)	118,108	Was 79 W. Little York before the merge with 3 Langley
|80	MLK/Lockwood	Houston Gardens Kashmere Transit Center	Crestmont Park MLK Jr. Boulevard & Park Village Drive	Lockwood Dr, MLK Jr. Blvd	16.2 miles (26.1 km)	1,103,832
		Eastex-Jensen Tidwell Transit Center			21.2 miles (34.1 km)		Was 80 Dowling/Lyons before the 2015 change
82	Westheimer	Downtown Congress Street & Smith Street	Eldridge/West Oaks West Oaks Mall	Westheimer Rd	18.2 miles (29.3 km)	3,540,453
83	Lee Road-JFK	Eastex-Jensen Tidwell Transit Center	IAH/Airport Area World Houston Parkway & International Plaza	US 59 Service Rd, Lee Rd (SB)	12.4 miles (20.0 km)	89,787
84	Buffalo Speedway	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	South Main Lakes at 610 Drive & West Bellfort Street	I-610 Service Rd, Buffalo Spdwy, University Blvd	12.9 miles (20.8 km)	386,427
85	Antoine/Washington	Downtown Pierce Street & Main Street	Antoine West West Road & Antoine Drive	Washington Ave, Antoine Dr	17.1 miles (27.5 km)	1,628,555
			Greenspoint Greenspoint Transit Center	Washington Ave, Antoine Dr, Gears Rd	25.1 miles (40.4 km)
86	FM 1960/Imperial Valley	Greenspoint Greenspoint Transit Center	Willowbrook Tomball Parkway & Willow Chase Boulevard	Imperial Valley Dr, FM 1960 (West)	16.5 miles (26.6 km)	762,678
87	Sunnyside	Old Braeswood Texas Medical Center Transit Center	South Main Fannin South Transit Center	Holcombe Blvd, Yellowstone Blvd, Crestmont St, Reed Rd	14.7 miles (23.7 km)	260,155	Was 87 Yellowstone Circulator prior to the 2015 route change
88	Sagemont	Greater Hobby Area Neuhaus St & Telephone Rd	Southbelt/Ellington San Jacinto College South	Airport Blvd, Almeda Genoa Rd, Beamer Rd	14.5 miles (23.3 km)	328,213
89	Dacoma	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Lazy Brook Sherwood Lane & North Becca Lane	Dacoma St, Magnum Rd, North Post Oak Rd	3.5 miles (5.6 km)	48,152
96	Veterans Memorial	Northline Northline Transit Center	Steubner Forest Veterans Memorial Drive & Farm To Market Road 1960	Veterans Memorial Dr	15.5 miles (24.9 km)	367,340
97	Settegast	Houston Gardens Kashmere Transit Center	East Houston Mesa Transit Center	I-610 Service Rd, Wallisville Rd, Oates Rd, E Houston Rd	14.9 miles (24.0 km)	140,712
98	Briargate	Central Southwest Hiram Clarke Transit Center	Fondren Gardens Missouri City Park & Ride	Fuqua St, Fondren Rd	7.4 miles (11.9 km)	80,882
99	Ella - FM 1960	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park & Ride	Woodcreek Lone Star College-North Harris	Ella Blvd, FM 1960 (East)	21.1 miles (34.0 km)	645,686
102	Bush IAH Express	Downtown Pierce Street & Travis Street	Bush IAH Airport Terminal C	North Fwy, Beltway 8, JFK Blvd	26.0 miles (41.8 km)	952,372
108	Veterans Memorial Express	Downtown Pierce Street & Travis Street	Acres Homes North Shepherd Park and Ride	North Fwy	10.1 miles (16.3 km)	103,000
137	Northshore Express	Downtown Gray Street & Brazos Street	Greater Fifth Ward 5th Ward/Denver Harbor TC	East Fwy	4.9 miles (7.9 km)	753,213	Alternate weekend trips
			Northshore Maxey Road Park & Ride	East Fwy, Uvalde Rd, Woodforest Bl	17.1 miles (27.5 km)
151	Westpark Express	Downtown Smith Street & Preston Street	Juniper Point Mission Bend Transit Center	US 59, Westpark Dr, Harwin Dr	18.5 miles (29.8 km)	109,914
152	Harwin South Express	Midtown Wheeler Transit Center	Alief Elmsworth Drive & South Course Drive	US 59, Harwin Dr, Corporate Dr	15.5 miles (24.9 km)	494,040	Interlined with 153 from Wheeler TC to Ranchester Dr
153	Harwin North Express		Eldridge/West Oaks Valedictorian Drive & Briar Forest Drive	US 59, Harwin Dr, Briar Forest Dr, Enclave Pkwy	20.7 miles (33.3 km)	710,901	Interlined with 152 from Wheeler TC to Ranchester Dr
160	Memorial City Express	Downtown Downtown Transit Center	Memorial City Memorial City Way & Barryknoll Lane	Katy Fwy	13.9 miles (22.4 km)	92,163	Interlined with 161 and 162 from Downtown TC to Memorial City
161	Wilcrest Express		Greater Fondren Southwest West Bellfort Park & Ride	Katy Fwy, Wilcrest Dr, Walnut Bend Ln	26.1 miles (42.0 km)	845,406	Interlined with 160 and 162 from Downtown TC to Memorial City
162	Memorial Express		Addicks Park Ten Addicks Park & Ride	Katy Fwy, Memorial Dr (West)	22.5 miles (36.2 km)	204,508	Interlined with 160 and 161 from Downtown TC to Memorial City
202	Kuykendahl P&R	Greenspoint Kuykendahl Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Jefferson	North Freeway HOV		189,367	[15]
204	Spring P&R	Spring Spring Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Jefferson	North Freeway HOV		173,301	[16]
209	Kuykendahl/Spring P&R	Spring Spring Park and Ride Greenspoint Kuykendahl Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Jefferson	North Freeway HOV		2,041	[17] Midday service for 202 and 204
212	Seton Lake P&R	Seton Lake Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Jefferson	SH 249, North Freeway HOV		6,171	[18]
216	W L York / Northwest Station P&R	Jersey Village Northwest Station Brookhollow West West Little York Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Smith and Louisiana Streets	Northwest Freeway HOV, Katy Freeway		204,600	[19]
217	Cypress P&R	Cypress Cypress Park and Ride				300,401	[20]
219	W.L York/NW Station/Cypress	Cypress Cypress Park and Ride Jersey Village Northwest Station Brookhollow West West Little York Park and Ride				2,926	[21] Midday service for 216 and 217
221	Kingsland P&R	Kingsland Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Smith and Louisiana	Katy Freeway HOV		52,941
222	Grand Parkway P&R	Grand Parkway Park and Ride				474,412
228	Addicks P&R	Addicks Addicks Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Smith and Louisiana	Katy Freeway HOV		262,132
229	Addicks/Kingsland/Grand Parkway P&R	Grand Parkway Park and Ride Kingsland Park and Ride Addicks Addicks Park and Ride				2,985	Midday service for 221, 222 and 228
236	Maxey P&R	Baytown Baytown Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Congress, Franklin, Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Pierce	East Freeway		52,819
237	Baytown P&R					3,258
244	Monroe / El Dorado P&R	El Dorado Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along St. Joseph, Pierce, Travis, Milam, Franklin and Congress	Gulf Freeway HOV		112,057
247	Fuqua / Bay Area P&R	Bay Area Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along St. Joseph, Pierce, Travis, Milam, Franklin and Congress	Bay Area Boulevard, Gulf Freeway HOV		161,459
249	Bay Area / El Dorado / Fuqua / Monroe P&R	Bay Area Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along St. Joseph, Pierce, Travis, Milam, Franklin and Congress	Bay Area Boulevard, Gulf Freeway HOV		2,696	Midday service for 244 and 247
256	Eastex / Kingwood P&R	Kingwood Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Congress, Franklin, Milam, Travis, St. Joseph and Jefferson	Eastex Freeway HOV		131,192
257	Townsen P&R	Townsen Park and Ride				91,742
259	Eastex/Townsen/Kingwood P&R	Kingwood Park and Ride				81,574	Midway service for 256 and 257
265	West Bellfort	West Bellfort Park and Ride	Downtown Stops along Louisiana, Smith, Franklin and Congress	Southwest Freeway HOV
269						269,316	Midday service for 265
270	Missouri City - Fondren P&R	Missouri City Missouri City/SH 6 Park and Ride	Old Braeswood TMC Transit Center	Fort Bend Tollway Frontage Road, Fondren, S. Main, Pressler		96,912
271	Missouri City - SH6 P&R					47,023
291	Conroe P&R	Conroe Conroe Park and Ride	VA Hospital	North Freeway HOV, Downtown, Main Street, Pressler, Bertner, OST		19,367
292	Southwest Freeway / TMC P&R	West Bellfort Park and Ride	Old Braeswood TMC Transit Center	Southwest Freeway HOV, Main Street		76,201
297	Gulf Freeway / TMC P&R	South Point Park and Ride	East @ Cambridge	Gulf Freeway HOV, South Freeway, OST		163,845
298	Katy Freeway / TMC P&R	Kingsland Park and Ride	Old Braeswood TMC Transit Center	Katy Freeway HOV, Studemont		283,348
309	Gulfton Circulator	Westpark/Lower Uptown Transit Center	Westpark/Lower Uptown Transit Center	Glenmont, Hillcroft, Bellaire, S. Rice	8.8 miles (14.2 km)	109,299	Runs in a loop
310						116,843	Runs in a loop
314	Hiram Clarke curb2curb					42,866	[22]
344	Acres Homes curb2curb					86,132	[23]
360	Peerless Shuttle	South Union Southeast Transit Center	South Park Jutland Road & Bellfort Street		6 miles (9.7 km)	95,166
363	Missouri City curb2curb					105,654	[24]
377	Kashmere Late Night curb2curb					3,355	[25]
399	Kuykendahl Shuttle	Greenspoint Greenspoint Transit Center	Greenspoint Kuykendahl Park & Ride	Ella Blvd, Kuykendahl Rd	4.7 miles (7.6 km)	45,903
402	Quickline Bellaire BRT	Old Braeswood TMC Transit Center	Sharpstown Clarewood Drive & Ranchester Drive	Bellaire Blvd	9 miles (14 km)	118,281
433	Silver Line Post Oak BRT	Spring Branch East Northwest Transit Center	Gulfton Westpark/Lower Uptown Transit Center	Post Oak Blvd	4.7 miles (7.6 km)	298,759	Originally 33 Post Oak

Discontinued

Route Name	Reason for discontinuation	Route Color
1 Hospital	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Red
3 West Gray	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
5 Kashmere	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue
7 Tanglewood		Green
8 South Main	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue
9 North Main	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
11 Nance	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
12 Allen House
13 Plaza del Oro Circulator
13 Westridge	Shown on the Reimaging Side By Side map; absorbed into route 84 in the New Bus Network release	Blue
15 Fulton		Green
16 Memorial
17 Gulfton
18 Kirby	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
19 Wilcrest	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
21 Northshore Limited
22 Almeda
24 Kempwood
24 Northline	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue/Green Segment
26 Outer Loop	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue
27 Inner Loop	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue
28 Southmore
31 Memorial Limited
32 Harwin Limited
33 Post Oak	Replaced by Silver Line (route 433)	Red
34 Montrose	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
35 Fairview	Originally 35 Leeland, later 35 Fairview/Leeland; discontinued in 2004	Green
36 Lawndale	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue/Green Segment
37 El Sol	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
39 Long Point
39 Parker Circulator
40 Pecore	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system
41 Garden Villas Express
41 Gulf Meadows Circulator
42 Holman	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system
43 South Belt Limited
43 Pinemont Plaza
43 Kirkwood	Shown on the Reimaging Side By Side map, but never existed (it was deferred so it may exist)	Green
48 Navigation	Was 48 Navigation/West Dallas until 2011; eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
50 Harrisburg	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Red/Blue Segment
50 Heights	Section renumbered as a portion of route 40 in the New Bus Network	Blue/Red
51 Buffalo Speedway
53 Briar Forest	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue
54 Aldine/Hollyvale Circulator
55 Greenspoint/Kingwood Limited	Ran from May 30, 2004 to October 30, 2004
55 E Tidwell	Shown on the Reimaging Side By Side map but never existed; combined with 45 Tidwell	Blue
57 JFK Limited
59 Southwest Freeway P&R
60 Hardy	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
60 South MacGregor	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
63 San Felipe Limited	Fondren Road section split off to 163 Fondren Limited (now current 63 Fondren) in the 1990s; remainder discontinued in 1997
64 Gulfton Limited	Merged into 17 Gulfton
66 Irvington	Merged into route 78; now covered by 79 Irvington
66 Yale	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
70 University	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system
71 Cottage Grove	Future discontinuation due to low ridership	Green
74 Carver Road Circulator
75 Taft
75 Energy Corridor	Replaced by 75 Eldridge in 2011	Red
77 Liberty	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue/Green
78 Alabama	Section eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
81 Westheimer-Sharpstown	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Blue/Red Segment
84 Fountain View	Became a branch of 82 Westheimer
84 T.C. Jester Limited
88 Broadway Limited
88 Hobby Airport	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
89 Yale	Merged into route 64, now route 66
89 South Park Circulator		Green
91 North Shepherd / Texas Medical Center	Renumbered to 291
92 Westwood / Texas Medical Center	Renumbered to 292
93 Greens Road	Renumbered to 102 in the 1990s due to shuttle expansions
93 Northwest/Greenway Plaza Shuttle	Discontinued in 2004
94
95 Uptown Post Oak	Renumbered to 295
96 Uptown St. James
98 Texas Special Blue
99 Texas Special Red
101 Airport Express
107 FM 1960
112 FM 149
112 Bush IAH Downtown Direct
119 Wilcrest Commuter	Renumbered from route 19 in the 1990s; renumbered back to route 19 in 1997
131 Memorial Limited	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
132 Harwin Limited	Eliminated in 2015 due to new route system	Green
143 South Belt Express
163 Fondren Limited	Replaced part of Route 63 San Felipe/Fondren Limited; replaced by current 63 Fondren in 2015 due to new route system	Blue/Green
164 Hillcroft
201 North Shepherd
203 North Shepherd/Seton Lake	Split into 201 North Shepherd and 212 Seton Lake
205 Kingwood
206 Eastex
210 West Belt	Discontinued in 2004
214 Northwest Station	Merged into route 216
215 West Little York Commuter
227 Katy Freeway P&R	Merged into route 298
245 Edgebrook P&R
246 Bay Area	Merged into route 247
248 El Dorado	Merged into route 244
255 Kingwood	Merged into route 256
261 West Loop P&R
262 Westwood	Merged into route 265
263 Alief	Merged into route 265
273 Gessner P&R	Merged into route 274
274 Westchase/Gessner P&R	Originally 274 Westchase P&R; eliminated in 2015 due to new route system
283 Kuykendahl	Discontinued in 2020
284 Kingwood/Townsen-Greenway Plaza/Uptown	Discontinued in 2004
285 Kingsland/Addicks-Uptown/Greenway Plaza	Discontinued in 2004, replaced by 298
286 Little York/Pinemont/Uptown P&R	Discontinued due to low ridership
289 San Jacinto P&R
295 Uptown Post Oak Addicks/Galleria Commuter
311 Bayou Event Shuttle	Discontinued due to low ridership
312 Grocers Shuttle	Absorbed into 5 Southmore in 2020
313 Allen Parkway Special
320 TMC Red Shuttle	No longer operated by METRO
321 TMC White Shuttle	No longer operated by METRO
322 TMC Blue Shuttle	No longer operated by METRO
323 TMC North Circulator	Merged with 325 to form the 326 in 2004
324 TMC South Circulator	Merged with 324 to form the 326 in 2004
325 Smith Lands Circulator
326 TMC Campus Trolley	Replaced 323 and 324
352 Swingle Shuttle
364 MCTX Flex Route
402 P & HC Shuttle
403 S & K Shuttle
404 Northwest Shuttle
404 Beechnut Flyer	Eliminated in 2001 due to low ridership
412 Greenlink Circulator Green Route	Cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic
413 Greenlink Circulator Orange Route	Cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic
418 Harris County Jury Shuttle	Discontinued in 2023 due to low ridership
420 Post Oak Special Gold
421 Post Oak Special Green
426/427 TMC Swiftline
464 Bell Station Trolley	Discontinued in 2004
465 Main Street Square Trolley
466 St. Joseph/Preston Trolley
500 Airport Direct	Cancelled in 2011 due to low ridership

Transit centers

Bold = Terminates at the Transit Center
Italics = A branch terminates at the transit center
/ / = METRORail connections

Transit Center	Parking [26]	Routes
Acres Homes	None	3 Langley-Little York 30 Clinton/Ella 44 Acres Homes 64 Lincoln City
Bellaire	None	2 Bellaire 20 Canal/Memorial 49 Chimney Rock/S. Post Oak 65 Bissonnet 309/310 Gulfton Circulators 402 Bellaire Quickline
Burnett	None	3 Langley-Little York 51 Hardy-Kelley 52 Hardy-Ley 79 Irvington
Downtown	None	6 Jensen/Greens 51 Hardy-Kelley 52 Hardy-Ley 54 Scott 160 Memorial City Express 161 Wilcrest Express 162 Memorial Express
Eastwood	65 spaces	4 Beechnut 9 Gulfton/Holman 25 Richmond 40 Telephone/Heights 41 Kirby/Polk 50 Broadway 80 MLK/Lockwood 244 Monroe/El Dorado P&R 249 Bay Area / El Dorado / Fuqua / Monroe P&R
Fannin South	1437 spaces	8 West Bellfort 11 Almeda/Lyons 73 Bellfort 87 Sunnyside
Fifth Ward/Denver Harbor	24 spaces	11 Almeda/Lyons 28 OST-Wayside 48 Market 66 Quitman 77 Homestead 78 Wayside 80 MLK/Lockwood 137 Northshore Express
Greenspoint	None	6 Jensen/Greens 56 Airline/Montrose 85 Antoine/Washington 86 FM 1960/Imperial Valley 99 Ella-FM 1960 102 Bush IAH Express 399 Kuykendahl Shuttle
Hempstead	None	26 Long Point/Cavalcade 58 Hammerly 71 Cottage Grove 85 Antoine/Washington 89 Dacoma Shuttle
Hiram Clarke	83 spaces	11 Almeda/Lyons 14 Hiram Clarke 54 Scott 98 Briargate
Hobby	None	40 Telephone/Heights 50 Broadway 73 Bellfort 88 Sagemont
Kashmere	17 spaces	3 Langley-Little York 26 Long Point/Cavalcade 29 Cullen/Hirsch 36 Kempwood 51 Hardy-Kelley 52 Hardy-Ley 80 MLK/Lockwood 97 Settegast
Magnolia Park	78 spaces	20 Canal/Memorial 28 OST-Wayside 38 Manchester-Lawndale 50 Broadway 76 Evergreen
Mesa	100 spaces	45 Tidwell 52 Hardy-Ley 78 Wayside 97 Settegast
Mission Bend	862 spaces	2 Bellaire 4 Beechnut 25 Richmond 75 Eldridge 151 Westpark Express
Northline	None	23 Clay-West 43rd 36 Kempwood 45 Tidwell 56 Airline Montrose 79 Irvington 96 Veterans Memorial
Northwest	195 spaces	39 Katy Freeway 47 Hillcroft 49 Chimney Rock/S. Post Oak 58 Hammerly 66 Quitman 70 Memorial 72 Westview 84 Buffalo Speedway 85 Antoine/Washington 89 Dacoma Shuttle 160 Memorial City Express 161 Wilcrest Express 162 Memorial Express 216 W L York / Northwest Station P&R 217 Cypress P&R 219 W.L York/NW Station/Cypress 298 Katy Freeway / TMC P&R 433 Silver Line
Palm Center	None	5 Southmore 87 Sunnyside
Southeast	21 spaces	5 Southmore 28 OST-Wayside 29 Cullen/Hirsch 54 Scott 60 Cambridge 360 Peerless Shuttle
Tidwell	809 spaces	6 Jensen/Greens 80 MLK/Lockwood 83 Lee Road-JFK
Texas Medical Center	None	2 Bellaire 4 Beechnut 10 Willowbend 14 Hiram Clarke 27 Shepherd 28 OST–Wayside 41 Kirby/Polk 56 Airline/Montrose 60 Cambridge 68 Braeswood 84 Buffalo Speedway 87 Sunnyside 270 Missouri City - Fondren P&R 291/292/297/298 Texas Medical Center Corridor 291 Conroe Park & Ride 292 Southwest Freeway / TMC P&R 297 South Point/Monroe Park & Ride 298 Addicks/Northwest Transit Center –Texas Medical Center Park & Ride 402 Quickline Bellaire
West Loop	772 spaces	7 West Airport 49 Chimney Rock/S. Post Oak 68 Braeswood
Westpark/Lower Uptown	242 spaces (175 covered)	20 Canal/Memorial 292 Southwest Freeway / TMC P&R 309/310 Gulfton Circulators 433 Silver Line
Wheeler	None	5 Southmore 25 Richmond 65 Bissonnet 152 Harwin South Express 153 Harwin North Express

Park and Ride lots

Metro operates 28 different park and ride locations. ^[26]

Park & Ride	Parking [26]	Routes
Addicks	2438 spaces	67 Dairy Ashford 75 Eldridge 162 Memorial Express 228 Addicks P&R 229 Grand Parkway/Kingsland/Addicks 298 Katy Freeway/TMC P&R
Bay Area	1155 spaces	247 Fuqua/Bay Area P&R 249 Bay Area/El Dorado/Fuqua/Monroe P&R
Baytown	16 spaces	237 Baytown P&R
Conroe	294 spaces (covered)	291 Conroe P&R
Cypress	1500 spaces (covered)	217 Cypress P&R 219 Cypress/NW Station/W L York P&R
Eastex	877 spaces	83 Lee Road-JFK 256 Eastex/Kingwood P&R 259 Kingwood/Townsen/Eastex P&R
El Dorado	1227 spaces	244 Monroe/El Dorado P&R 249 Bay Area/El Dorado/Fuqua/Monroe P&R
Fuqua	938 spaces	88 Sagemont 247 Fuqua/Bay Area P&R 249 Bay Area/El Dorado/Fuqua/Monroe P&R
Gessner	415 spaces	151 Westpark Express
Grand Parkway	1714 spaces (covered)	222 Grand Parkway P&R 229 Grand Parkway/Kingsland/Addicks
Hillcroft	922 spaces	151 Westpark Express 152 Harwin South Express 153 Harwin North Express 309/310 Gulfton Circulator
Kingsland	2377 spaces	221 Kingsland P&R 229 Grand Parkway/Kingsland/Addicks 298 Katy Freeway/TMC P&R
Kingwood	1034 spaces	256 Eastex/Kingwood P&R 259 Kingwood/Townsen/Eastex P&R
Kuykendahl	2171 spaces	202 Kuykendahl P&R 209 Kuykendahl/Spring P&R 399 Kuykendahl Shuttle
Maxey Road	1129 spaces	137 Northshore Express 236 Maxey P&R 237 Baytown P&R
Missouri City	779 spaces	63 Fondren 98 Briargate 270 Missouri City - Fondren P&R
Missouri City/SH 6	200 spaces	271 Missouri City - SH6 P&R
Monroe	904 spaces	40 Telephone/Heights 244 Monroe/El Dorado P&R 249 Bay Area/El Dorado/Fuqua/Monroe P&R 297 Gulf Freeway/TMC P&R
North Shepherd	603 spaces	3 Langley/Little York 27 Shepherd 30 Clinton/Ella 40 Telephone/Heights 59 Aldine Mail 64 Lincoln City 96 Veterans Memorial 99 Ella-FM 1960 108 Veterans Memorial Express
Northwest Station	2361 spaces	216 W L York/NW Station P&R 219 Cypress/NW Station/W L York P&R
Seton Lake	1286 spaces	44 Acres Homes 212 Seton Lake P&R
South Point	496 spaces	297 Gulf Freeway/TMC P&R
Spring	1263 spaces	86 FM 1960/Imperial Valley 99 Ella-FM 1960 204 Spring P&R 209 Kuykendahl/Spring P&R
Townsen	996 spaces	257 Townsen P&R 259 Kingwood/Townsen/Eastex P&R
West Bellfort	2024 spaces	8 West Bellfort 161 Wilcrest Express 265 West Bellfort P&R 269 West Bellfort P&R 292 Southwest Freeway/TMC P&R
West Little York	1102 spaces	45 Tidwell 46 Gessner 216 W L York/NW Station P&R 219 Cypress/NW Station/W L York P&R
Westchase	1468 spaces	151 Westpark Express
Westwood	826 spaces	292 Southwest Freeway/TMC P&R

Advertising policy

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. ^[27]

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. ^[28] Metro began advertising the Houston Zoo on the side of three light rail vehicles in 2010. ^[29] 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. ^[28]

Service Type	Regular	Discounted
Local	$1.25	$0.60
Zone 1	$2	$1
Zone 2	$3.25	$1.60
Zone 3	$3.75	$1.85
Zone 4	$4.50	$2.25
Zone 5	$8	$4
24-Hour Pass (began October 7, 2013) [30]	$3	$1.50

HOV system

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.

The HOV lanes run between Downtown Houston (inbound A.M. and outbound P.M.) and the suburbs and are found on portions of the Katy Freeway, Gulf Freeway, North Freeway, Southwest Freeway, Eastex Freeway and Northwest Freeway.

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. ^[31] 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. ^[32]

METRORail

Main article: METRORail

Metro's light rail service is known as METRORail.

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: ^[33]

• 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 27, 2007: 56,388 passengers were recorded the day of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• February 4, 2017: 109,417 passengers were recorded during festivities preceding Super Bowl LI. ^[34]
• November 3, 2017: 125,000 passengers were recorded the day of the parade for the Houston Astros, champions of the 2017 World Series. ^[34]

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 ^[32] 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. ^[32]

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. ^{[35] [36]} The extension of the Red Line was opened on December 21, 2013 ^[37] and the East End/Green Line opened on May 23, 2015. ^[38] Due to federal investigations and the lack of funds, the plans may degenerate further. ^[39] 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.

Expansion

Further information: METRORail

METRO Solutions

METRO Solutions was a regional transit plan approved by voters in November 2003 by a 52–48 vote. ^{[40] [41]} 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. ^[42]

By 2017, only 15 miles of light rail were completed with no commuter rail lines established. ^[41] 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. ^[43] The plan calls for: ^{[44] [45]}

• 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. ^[44]

Metro Police

Metro Police automobile

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. ^[46]

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. ^[47] 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. ^[48] They may also make an arrest pursuant to a warrant anywhere in Texas. ^[49]

Headquarters

See also: Total Plaza

Lee P. Brown Administration Building, the headquarters, in Downtown Houston

The Metro headquarters are in the Lee P. Brown Administration Building in Downtown Houston. ^[50] 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. ^[51] The building was designed by Pierce Goodwin Alexander & Linville. ^[52] As of August 2010, two floors of the building are not occupied and are not used in any way. ^[53]

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. ^[51] The Federal Transit Administration, ^[52] a part of the federal government of the United States, paid 80% of the construction costs, ^[51] while Metro paid the other 20%. ^[52]

The “Houston in Harmony” mural ^[54] 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 ^[55] ), also in Downtown Houston. ^{[56] [57]} The agency occupied 10 floors in the building and did not receive any federal funds to cover the $3.8 million annual rent. ^[51] The Metro Board Room was located on the 16th floor. ^[58] 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. ^[59] Metro's lease of 193,000 square feet (17,900 m²) of space expired in April 2005. ^[52]

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. ^[60] 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. ^[61]

Member cities

Metro provides transportation services to fifteen member cities, as well as some unincorporated portions of Harris County. ^[62] Metro's service area pays a 1¢ sales tax to fund the agency's operations. ^[63]

In addition to the city of Houston, Metro serves fourteen cities in the Greater Houston area, collectively termed the "Multi-Cities": ^[62]

• Bellaire
• Bunker Hill Village
• El Lago
• Hedwig Village
• Hilshire Village
• Humble
• Hunters Creek Village
• Katy
• Missouri City
• Piney Point Village
• Southside Place
• Spring Valley Village
• Taylor Lake Village
• West University Place

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. ^[64]

See also

• Texas portal
• Transportation portal

• List of tram and light-rail transit systems

References

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2. "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
3. "About METRO". METRO. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
4. Chronology of Metro's attempts to develop a rail system Archived October 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine FRI March 29, 1991 Houston Chronicle , Section A, Page 24, 2 STAR Edition
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
6. Ryan, Molly (February 24, 2014). "Houston Metro officially names new CEO". Houston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
7. Turner, Allan (February 1, 2014). "Metro CEO lauded for low-key management style". Houston Chronicle. Hearst. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
8. Engel, Currie (July 23, 2020). "On the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Houston looks forward". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved July 31, 2020. [...]1978[...]It took Houston another 13 years to get accessible buses,[...]
9. Yglesias, Matthew (February 18, 2015). "Houston just dramatically improved its mass transit system without spending a dime". Vox. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
10. "METRO abandons next phase of Bus Rapid Train Plan". Click2Houston. June 21, 2024.
11. "NewBusNetwork". www.ridemetro.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
12. Begley, Dug (April 6, 2020). "Pandemic forces shutdown of downtown shuttle, maybe for good". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
13. "Executive Summary - September 2023". Houston METRO . Retrieved October 21, 2023.
14. "2 Bellaire". METRO.
15. "202 Kuykendahl". METRO.
16. "204 Spring". METRO.
17. "209 Spring / Kuykendahl". METRO.
18. "212 Seton Lake". METRO.
19. "216 West Little York / Northwest Station". METRO.
20. "217 Cypress". METRO.
21. "219 Cypress / Northwest Station / West Little York". METRO.
22. "314 Hiram Clarke". METRO.
23. "344 Acres Homes". METRO.
24. "363 Missouri City". METRO.
25. "377 Kashmere Late Night". METRO.
26. "Accessing METRO by Car". METRO. Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
27. Connelly, Richard. "Metro: No Ads On Buses, Despite (Or Because Of) Tough Economic Times Archived 2010-07-23 at the Wayback Machine ." Houston Press . Tuesday July 20, 2010. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
28. Fare increases an option as Metro looks at rail funding – Houston Chronicle. Chron.com (July 21, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
29. Metro breaks tradition with Zoo ads featured on trains | khou.com Houston Archived October 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Khou.com (August 6, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
30. Day pass returning for Metro riders – Houston Chronicle. Chron.com (March 28, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
31. "Metro Lift Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine ." Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas.
32. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
33. "METRORail riding sets record – Houston Business Journal". Archived from the original on June 14, 2008.
34. "MetroRail notches record number of riders for Astros' victory parade, celebration". November 6, 2017.
35. Houston Mayor Annise Parker wants to put brakes on University and Uptown rail lines | abc13.com . Abclocal.go.com (March 11, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
36. Rick Casey: Metro can't let rail jeopardize its buses – Houston Chronicle. Chron.com (March 11, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
37. Rail puts Fulton Corridor on the verge of a boom – Houston Chronicle. Chron.com (May 31, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
38. Metro's East End Light Rail Corridor construction project reaches major milestone | abc13.com . Abclocal.go.com (April 16, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
39. Metro cancels real estate contract, then rehires firm – Houston Chronicle. Chron.com (July 23, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.
40. BABINECK, MARK (November 5, 2003). "Houston presses ahead with rail plan". Chron. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
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Further reading

• Spivak, Todd. "Run Over by Metro." Houston Press . March 3, 2006.

External links

• Metro Official Page
• Metro Official Page at the Wayback Machine (archive index)