Tag Archives: Metro

My vision for Metro: Expansion

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1: Buses Part 2: Marketing itself One of the things that new Metro Chair Carrin Patman has been talking about is a regional transportation plan, to get everyone – including cities and counties not currently involved with Metro – … Continue reading →

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My vision for Metro: Marketing itself

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1: Buses Metro Board member Christoph Spieler has said that Metro turns over 20 percent of its ridership each year, just due to the natural comings and goings of life. As such, Metro doesn’t have to expend effort to … Continue reading →

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My vision for Metro: Buses

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said before that I would have some suggestions for new Metro Board Chair Carrin Patman and her team as they take their places. This post is where I start sharing those suggestions. The idea is to focus on proposals … Continue reading →

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One year of the Green and Purple light rail lines

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ridership keeps trending up, but it’s hard to get a handle on the details from this story. Monday marks one-year of Metropolitan Transit Authority’s two newest rail lines. Well, most of Metro’s two newest rail lines. The last mile or … Continue reading →

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Feds rescind Universities line funding

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise at this point. A proposal for a light rail line along Richmond Avenue, long left for dead because of strong opposition and years of languishing, has lost its shot now for funding from the Federal Transit Administration. … Continue reading →

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Turner reiterates the need to rethink transportation

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

New audience, same theme. Houston’s transportation future – and perhaps its economic vitality – relies on more options than new freeway lanes to make room for more cars, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday. “The solution is to increasingly take advantage … Continue reading →

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Patman shares her vision for Metro

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I like what I’m hearing from new Metro Board Chair Carrin Patman. A regional transportation plan is critical, Patman said, because it allows everyone to establish what transit and transportation officials should be doing. Everyone, including counties and cities not … Continue reading →

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Still seeking a downtown connection for the high speed rail line

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m hoping one gets found. Texas Central Partners, the private firm proposing the Houston-to-Dallas line, briefed a city council committee Monday, telling officials they remain on track to break ground in late 2017. “That might slide into early 2018,” said … Continue reading →

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Council approves body camera storage funds

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. City Council voted Wednesday to spend $1 million to buy servers and other equipment to store video collected by city police officers equipped with body cameras. The vote, passed with relatively little fuss following months of sometimes-contentious public debate, … Continue reading →

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UberACCESS debuts in Houston

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. A partnership that has helped disabled people connect with a popular ride service launched in Houston at midnight. Uber officials confirmed UberACCESS, which offers wheelchair-accessible rides for the same price as UberX, began service Wednesday. Like all … Continue reading →

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Take transit to the game

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If you can, you should. The transformation of downtown from a work place that empties after dark to a true community is finally underway in earnest, with residents, retail shops, and restaurants that remain open long after the lunch rush. … Continue reading →

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Criminal complaint filed over Uptown land acquisition

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All righty then. A consultant who represents property owners in the Galleria area has filed a criminal complaint with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, alleging the Uptown Development Authority and related entities broke state open meetings and disclosure laws … Continue reading →

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Lots of people took the train to the games

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. After handling more than a quarter-million rail trips over the four-day NCAA Final Four period, Metro is calling it a slam dunk. “These are numbers are fantastic for us,” spokesman Jerome Gray said. Metro said 255,700 rail boardings occurred … Continue reading →

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Gilbert Garcia will be a tough act to follow at Metro

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let me bid an early and fond farewell to outgoing Metro Board Chair Gilbert Garcia. With only weeks to go as chairman of Metro, Gilbert Garcia bounds down the hallway to his transit agency office greeting workers, talking about how … Continue reading →

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Other cities want to be like Houston

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For parks and landscaping. The word “infrastructure” typically conjures up images of towering buildings, layered freeway interchanges and heavily monitored drainage ditches; concrete, cars, trucks and impressive feats of engineering that attempt to mold the natural world and resources to … Continue reading →

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More Metro appointments for Mayor Turner

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board gets its wish. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday named two new Metro board members and reappointed two others – taking a more moderate course than his predecessor, who replaced all five of the city’s appointees. Disability … Continue reading →

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Will driverless cars fix Houston’s traffic problems?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis thinks they might. The second step is understanding the ramifications of coming new technologies — specifically self-driving cars. While the general vehicle fleet will take decades to turn over as people slowly replace their cars, we can expect … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner appoints new Metro board chair

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good choice. Former Metro board member Carrin Patman will return to the transit agency as chairwoman, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday. Patman, 59, is a partner at Houston-based law firm Bracewell, where she has represented major corporate clients in fraud … Continue reading →

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Metro smartphone payment system debuts

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Progress marches onward. Metro riders will be able to board a bus or train without a fare card or cash within a few days, just in time for some of the transit agency’s heaviest use during the Houston Livestock Show … Continue reading →

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Turner wants to rethink transportation

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I like the way he’s thinking. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in less than a month on the job, has hit the streets at full speed. First he tackled potholes. Last week he tackled a state transportation department that’s spent the … Continue reading →

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Harrisburg line overpass delayed again

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Just, ugh. A rail overpass vital to completion of the East End light rail line that has divided neighbors and eroded public confidence will be delayed another four months, Metro officials confirmed Monday. “It has been the project from … Continue reading →

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The Mayor’s education czar

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Former HISD Trustee Juliet Stipeche has joined the Turner administration. Mayor Sylvester Turner has named former Houston ISD board president Juliet Stipeche to a newly created Director of Education role in his administration, seeking greater collaboration between the city and … Continue reading →

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Chron story on the bus map tweaks

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A few bits of interest here. Metro leaders hope more frequent service on popular routes will build on the ridership gains the system is experiencing. “I think as you get higher frequency and people know it is going to come, … Continue reading →

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Metro bus system tweaks coming

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: You spoke, and METRO listened. Beginning Jan. 24, 2016, METRO will put in place a series of route and schedule modifications based on feedback received from riders and bus operators since launching the New Bus Network Aug. … Continue reading →

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The Magic Bus

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Just like that, faster than Uber, the Magic Bus is seven minutes from its first passenger of the day. For the next 12 hours, the bus – in actuality, a brightly painted van bearing the slogan “For all who … Continue reading →

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Metro and HCTRA exploring other payment options

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Look for them soon. Many transit riders are clamoring for smartphone payment for Metro buses and trains, which the agency originally announced would be ready by the end of 2015. Those plans have been delayed because of contract negotiations, but … Continue reading →

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Interview with Mayor Annise Parker

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We are in the last few days of the administration of Mayor Annise Parker. Having served three terms each as Council member and Controller, she is finishing up eighteen years as an elected official in the city of Houston. I … Continue reading →

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More on the Gulf Coast Rail District and the high speed rail line

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reports on the story. Officials with the Gulf Coast Rail District, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Texas Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Transit Authority are involved in a comprehensive planning study of rail, generally in the Washington Avenue and Interstate … Continue reading →

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Metro posts solid ridership increase

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. METRO’s chosen path to increase ridership by delivering improved routes, with improved connections, is producing solid, steady and most impressively significant, numbers – across the board. Ridership on all fixed routes grew to nearly 7 million in November 2015. … Continue reading →

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Want to help Metro test a mobile ticketing app?

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what you need to know. METRO is launching a new mobile ticketing application for smart phones, and we are looking for volunteers to help us test the app before it is released to the public. By volunteering to be … Continue reading →

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Paxton opines on Uptown BRT

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

AG Ken Paxton was asked for an opinion on whether or not Metro could work with the Uptown Management District on its proposed BRT line. The opinion has been given, though it doesn’t really settle anything. In the ruling, Paxton … Continue reading →

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Today is Runoff Day

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Runoff Election Day is Saturday, Dec. 12 for citizens registered to vote within the legal boundaries of the City of Houston and Houston ISD Trustee District II and III. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to … Continue reading →

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More on the high speed rail station in Houston

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron frets about it not being downtown. After hearing so much about how the proposed Central Texas Railway will help people commute between the central business districts of Houston and Dallas, it turns out that the Houston station will … Continue reading →

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Metro wants to know what you think of bus system reimagining

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Starting Monday, Metro workers will be at bus stops and transit centers surveying riders about the changes, which took effect Aug. 16. The new system altered practically every bus trip in the Houston area, as … Continue reading →

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