Capital Metro bus service will offer service in Round Rock for the first time following City Council approval of an agreement with the transit provider.

The agreement approved by Round Rock council members last week will bring the city’s first fixed bus routes, which is scheduled to start Aug. 7.

Three of four fixed routes include at least one stop in Austin. The launch of the express route into downtown Austin will utilize the MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) express lanes currently under construction, and may be delayed due to construction, said City Transportation Director Gary Hudder.

Mayor Alan McGraw said the bus routes into Austin will benefit local commuters and the express route will help travelers bypass traffic. "It’s going to be a great alternative; it’ll be good to see it come to fruition," he said.

The fixed routes were discussed and studied in the city’s 2015 Transit Master Plan, which Hudder said consisted of public outreach over two years to determine the wants and needs of local residents. "There has been a lot of work that’s gone into this," he said.

The bus service will cost a little over $4 million for a five-year service agreement, according to the terms. After the first year, Hudder said the city could pause the program after a year if it does not receive strong ridership.

But Mayor Pro Tem Craig Morgan added, "I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t do very well."

The first year of service is expected to cost $873,633, according to the agreement. City staff said the city will pay about $600,000 annually for the service with the rest coming from Federal Transit Administration grants.

The three local routes will cost riders $1.25 for a single ride, $2.50 for a day pass and $41.25 for a 31-day pass, according to the agreement. The express route, or commuter route, will cost $3.50 for a single-ride ticket, $7 for a day pass and $96.25 for a 31-day pass.

There will be reduced fare options for seniors 65 and older, and for people with disabilities, members of the military, students and people on Medicare.

The city will keep all revenue collected from bus pass sales in Round Rock, and Capital Metro will keep all revenue collected from the sales outside of Round Rock, Hudder said.

Bus routes

Route 50 is slated to reach as far north as the Round Rock Premium Outlets and travel south to Cap Metro’s Howard Lane park-and-ride station in Austin. In between, the route will hit stops near Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Round Rock, a few H-E-B stores, the library and City Hall, among other landmarks and services. The route will utilize two standard-sized transit buses and will run hourly.

Route 51, or the so-called Round Rock Circulator, stretches east to west. It is proposed to make stops near St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, the Round Rock Housing Authority as well as Wal-Mart and Target near Louis Henna Boulevard. The route will feature a smaller cutaway bus with hourly service.

Route 52 is a reverse commute route that would take riders from the Round Rock Transit Center on West Bagdad Avenue to the Cap Metro Tech Ridge Park and Ride. This route will feature two 35-foot buses running during the peak morning and afternoon hours.

Route 980 is the express route slated to make stops at the Round Rock Transit Center, a park-and-ride station at New Life Church on Century Park Boulevard in Austin and near the University of Texas campus.

The city currently provides a paratransit demand-response service through Star Shuttle, where Round Rock residents can schedule trips. That service, under a five-year contract, ends in May, Hudder said. But the city will enter a new paratransit contract with Star Shuttle to provide door-to-door service, he said.