Tag Archives: buses

Saturday video break: Three cheers for the bus drivers

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Metro’s new bus system, I’m taking a break from the cover song theme to run two bus-related videos. First, to represent the old system, here’s a very young Weird Al Yankovic and his classic, “Another One Rides … Continue reading →

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So can we call the Metro bus system reimagining a success yet?

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

If no news is good news, then Metro is swimming in good news, because I haven’t seen much coverage of its new bus system rollout since the opening days. Perhaps all that concern (expressed by one person) about disaster and … Continue reading →

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System Reimagining, Day One

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

So far, so good. Bruno Davi waited Monday morning for a Metro bus in his usual spot on Heights Boulevard, but his trip wasn’t the same. It’s a situation thousands of Metropolitan Transit Authority riders faced as the agency’s new … Continue reading →

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The system has been reimagined

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Now we get to see how it all goes. Seven members of the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority board were among the first passengers to try the revamped bus network launched early Sunday morning after taking a 30-minute bus ride around … Continue reading →

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System reimagining set to debut

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Houston’s bus system, long considered sluggish and inconvenient, is poised for a transformation that’s drawing national attention for its boldness – and skepticism from some riders. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will roll out its new bus network … Continue reading →

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Metro makes its final tweaks

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here comes System Reimagining. Metro officials on Wednesday approved minor changes to the agency’s redesigned bus system as they brace for response from tens of thousands of riders once the revamped system launches Aug. 16. Metropolitan Transit … Continue reading →

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Got questions about the new bus routes?

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You can get answers, in person, from a Metro staffer. From the inbox: METRO makes it easy for riders to learn more about the New Bus Network through a series of customer information sessions being held across the METRO service … Continue reading →

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The future of Fort Bend transit

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Public transportation in Fort Bend County has grown quite a bit since its inception, and there’s a lot of potential for future growth if the pieces can be put into place. On Tuesday, county leaders, staff and transit partners gathered … Continue reading →

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Preview your bus route change

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Write On Metro: The New Bus Network is designed to make our service better and more convenient for you. Before it debuts on Aug. 16, you can get a preview of exactly how your new route will be changed. … Continue reading →

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More on Houston’s transit deserts

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

James Llamas writes a guest post at the Kinder Institute blog about their earlier article on transit deserts in Houston. As a planner at Traffic Engineers, Inc. I had the privilege of working with METRO staff and industry experts on … Continue reading →

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Yes, the new rail lines are off to a slower-than-hoped start

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not panic. Our own history shows that early rail ridership numbers are often highly variable. Slightly more than a month after the Metropolitan Transit Authority christened two new rail lines – built at a cost of $1.4 billion and … Continue reading →

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Metro and your smartphone

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. As Metropolitan Transit Authority officials planned for the new system – which will affect practically every bus ride in the region – they have also focused on offering new services. One of those, a system that allows bus riders … Continue reading →

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Houston’s transit deserts

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Kinder Institute’s Urban Edge blog: A new study suggests that despite METRO’s launch of several highly-touted and publicized improvements, the agency is still struggling to address the needs of some communities that depend heavily on transit. With operations … Continue reading →

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I got those reverse commuting blues

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Woodlands is growing as en employment center, which means it is also seeing a lot more traffic in what used to be the reverse commute direction. There is no longer a simple drive to this onetime bedroom community, which … Continue reading →

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How would you get from Houston to Galveston without a car?

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s both easier and harder than you might think. Raj Mankad tells the story. I reached the sea without getting in a car. Over the course of my journey, which began at Rice University and ended at Stewart Beach, I … Continue reading →

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System reimagining is going to be hard

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Because change is hard. It always is. Transit officials might have reimaginged bus service in the Houston area, but the riders who rely on it for daily trips are asking them to rethink it again. Since the redesigned bus system … Continue reading →

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You can still ask Metro to make changes to their new bus routes

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Andrews highlights a little Metro-related activism going on in my neighborhood. Residents in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston have initiated a petition to modify the proposed 30 bus route. Currently, the neighborhood is serviced by the 40 Pecore … Continue reading →

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The Chron on how Metro and Culberson came to an accord

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Read all about it. Houston’s buses don’t run at 2 a.m., but that’s when Metro and U.S. Rep. John Culberson began to see real movement toward a deal to improve area transit service. “We got really intense one night and … Continue reading →

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What next for Metro now that peace with Culberson has broken out?

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve all had a chance to read over and digest the agreement Metro struck with Rep. John Culberson now. It looked good to me up front (though not to everyone – more on that in a bit), but as always … Continue reading →

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The Mayoral candidates and public transportation

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. When it comes to traffic, Houstonians and their mayoral candidates agree: The city is gridlocked and only getting worse. Judging by the candidates’ fledgling campaign platforms, many of which mention traffic as a top concern, road improvements … Continue reading →

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Bikes now allowed on light rail all day

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news from the inbox: METRORail is opening its doors to bikes during all regular service hours just in time for Houston’s Bike to Work Day observance, Friday, May 15, 2015. The new hours are made possible with the … Continue reading →

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One hundred days till the new bus network

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And counting down. Metro on Friday began the 100-day countdown to sweeping changes in local bus service, conceding that months of work ultimately will be judged by the level of confusion – small or large – that happens Aug. 16, … Continue reading →

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System reimagining will be mostly better for most

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

But not quite all better for all. Metro staff analyzed 452 hypothetical trips along the new [bus] network, most in low-income and minority areas. The standard for disproportionately affecting a trip is that trip taking 15 minutes longer than under … Continue reading →

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An Uptown BRT skeptic

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one guy who doesn’t like the idea. Ridership models developed by the Uptown TIRZ board project that the new bus route will carry 10,000 riders per day in 2018. This estimate is outrageously inflated, given that the more than … Continue reading →

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System reimagining is hard work

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Jarrett Walker, who consulted with Metro on bus system reimagining, wants you to know that it was harder than it looked. These no-new-resources restructurings always involve cutting some low-ridership services to add higher-ridership ones, and these can be incredibly painful … Continue reading →

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Metro board approves reimagining

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

On to implementation. Metro’s board gave unanimous, final approval to the so-called reimagining plan, authorizing agency staff to plan public meetings to explain the changes. Between now and August, Metro must replace every sign at every bus stop, revise every … Continue reading →

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System reimagining time

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Big day today, hopefully. A once-in-a-generation change to Houston bus service – shifting from a downtown-focused, hub-and-spoke design to a broader network reflecting new ways people move around – could receive final approval by Metro’s board Wednesday. Officials say the … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Transportation

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Please note that I have called this part of my manifesto “Transportation” and not “Traffic”. I agree that traffic sucks and that the Mayoral candidates ought to have some ideas for how to deal with it. It’s my opinion … Continue reading →

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First test for flex zones

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is worth watching. Though many Acres Homes dwellings and shops are in disrepair, a community still thrives here. Churches and some well-kept homes anchor corners and dot small, residential streets, all of which dead-end or loop back to Sweetwater. … Continue reading →

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From the “Good problems to have” department

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Metro will have a few million dollars left over when it is done building the remaining light rail lines. After more than three years of construction, Metro officials estimate $39.9 million of the $900 million awarded by the Federal Transit … Continue reading →

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Still tweaking the reimagining

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An updated version of Metro’s reimagined bus network will be out soon. The so-called reimagining plan, which the Metropolitan Transit Authority began studying more than a year ago, touches every bus route in the sprawling Houston-area system. Changes will take … Continue reading →

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On streetcars and BRT

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite considers some alternatives to light rail. Two new light rail lines set to start service early next year will drastically expand Houston’s rail network, but our city will remain dreadfully underserved by the system. Many neighborhoods seeing a greater … Continue reading →

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Treating all fares the same

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good idea. A six-month test starting in February will gauge the effects of letting cash-paying rail riders switch to buses for free. The vast majority of riders use a Q card, day pass or some other form of Metro payment. … Continue reading →

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Getting more people to use B-Cycle

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s B-Cycle program has been a big success overall, but not in all locations. Despite the growth, however, few of the nearly 70,000 checkouts between January and mid-October are coming from three B-Cycle stations specifically placed to expand the system … Continue reading →

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