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July 15, 2014 The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is the region’s largest public transit provider, offering safe, reliable and affordable transportation services about 370,000 times per day. Besides operating more than 1,200 buses, METRO is currently expanding its 13-mile Red Line with two new lines under construction. METRO’s services also include: Star Vanpool, METROLift, HOV lanes, HOT lanes, Bikes-on-Buses/Trains program, Park & Ride, and road improvement projects. Learn more about METRO services at ridemetro.org where you will also find information about our T.R.I.P. app and the new digital, interactive rider tool METRO 360 [take a seat]. Record Number of METRO Riders Are Opting to Stop and Roll A blue Schwinn waits onboard the 52 to take its cook rider to his job in Pearland. The picture is part of the record trend in Houston multi-modal transit. Stuck in traffic? Ever wanted to exit your vehicle to finish the trip? More and more Houstonians are doing just that and the result is a new ridership record for METRO. Bikes boarded on METRO buses have increased a whopping 50 percent compared to the same nine months in METRO's last fiscal year. METRO has now marked a new (fiscal year) annual high for bicycles on buses. Nearly 22,000 boardings were recorded in June 2014, up 32 percent than the same month a year ago. Three days each week Charlie Darling leaves his north Houston home with his blue Schwinn bike then catches a bus for his job as head cook at Luby’s Cafeteria in Pearland. It’s a long haul. On the bus he listens to music and catches up with friends by phone. The bike gives him flexibility, and a good workout.



"I travel two hours (by bus) - going and coming back and then it takes me half an hour (by bike) to get to work," Darling says, dropping an earbud from his smartphone. "It's a straight shot, I'm the first one on and the first one off the bus. I've been using the bike the past four months. It's great exercise,” Darling says with a smile as he leans back in his seat, waiting for his bus - and his bike - to leave the Downtown Transit Center. The move to bike’n’bus is being cultivated by METRO and outside agencies. The successful Kingsland Park & Ride bike partnership involved an $84,000 METRO contribution that includes a bridge, path and parking that works with trail expansion from Harris County and bike parking donated by the city. Nearly 800,000 bikes have been carried on Houston buses since the program began in 2007. This year alone more than 178,000 cyclists used METRO buses to extend their trips. The idea is to connect METRO’s facilities to major bikeways and destinations, including neighborhood centers, for fast, frequent service. METRO is working on trail projects that access Authority facilities. Donations for bike parking, like that at Kingsland Park & Ride, are coming in. Meanwhile, the Westchase District, Harris County Precinct 4, City of Houston and Harris County Public Health Department all have collaborated with METRO to improve service.