Starting Monday, Round Rock residents will have the option to forgo driving to downtown Austin in favor of riding a bus on the highly trafficked MoPac Boulevard.

Capital Metro’s Route 980, which will operate every weekday morning and evening, allows Round Rock passengers to connect to the New Life Park and Ride near Howard Lane and the University of Texas campus. The entire trip is estimated to take 45 minutes, according to Cap Metro, and joins three other routes launched by the transportation agency .

Transit Coordinator Caren Lee said Cap Metro is offering the route as a quicker alternative for Round Rock commuters heading into Austin, which can often take an hour during rush-hour traffic.

Lee said Cap Metro and Round Rock Transit waited for construction on MoPac Boulevard — which now includes a north and south toll lane — to end before operating the route. The toll lanes opened in October after years of delays.

Lee said the new route will provide much-needed relief to Round Rock drivers.

"Riding the bus prevents wear and tear on tires, helps with air pollution and gives them a chance to catch up with a friend, take a nap or do some work on the way," she said.

The express route follows Cap Metro beginning service in Round Rock in late August. According to the agency’s online reports, there were 2,193 boardings during the first nine days.

While other Cap Metro routes provide service throughout Round Rock, Route 980 is the first to transport riders to Austin.

The first three local routes include Route 50, which travels between Austin Community College’s Round Rock Campus and Howard Station, and includes stops at the Round Rock Outlet Mall, H-E-B Plus on University Boulevard, the Sunrise corridor, downtown Round Rock, the Round Rock Transit Center and La Frontera.

Route 51 travels between St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center and Dell’s Round Rock Campus with stops at Round Rock High School, Success High School and downtown.

Route 52 travels from Tech Ridge Park and Ride to Round Rock Transit Center with limited stops that include the Art Institute of Austin and several employment centers.

Bus passes may be purchased at the Transit Center, capmetro.org or by downloading the agency’s mobile app. Scheduled times and other information is also available.