The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is under new leadership, but the goal of increasing ridership remains the same.
While the number of riders steadily has increased across the system since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it still does not match pre-pandemic levels.
Enter Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock , Metro’s new board chairperson, who was appointed by Houston Mayor John Whitmire in February.
She pointed to a January Houston Chronicle story about an increase in assaults on Metro vehicles and properties, up to 363 in 2023 from 291 in 2022. The same story noted that reports of violence on buses and trains had decreased from the previous years.
The focus on public safety also is expected to include a more stringent fare inspection effort, interim President and CEO Tom Jasien said. He cited issues with the devices inspectors use as a reason for a more lax system, but said those issues have been resolved.
“We want customers who are choosing to ride Metro, and we don’t charge very much,” Jasien said. “Most people who would choose to ride have no issue paying. What they have an issue with is feeling uncomfortable, feeling that they’re in a place that’s not clean and safe.”
Beyond buses and trains
Brock repeatedly used the phrase “meeting customers where they are,” in describing her desire to attract more riders who have the option to use a personal vehicle or to use Metro’s services.
“I view expansion as ‘How do you provide services that are more available for people to use?’” Brock said. For those hoping for an expansion of light rail, the wait may be a little longer.
“In order to get there, we’re really going to have to take a look at technology,” Brock said.
The focus on technology would be both internal and external. For example, Brock said she hopes to grow Metro’s line of customer-facing phone apps to ensure better transit planning. At the same time, she set a goal of improving the agency’s back-end technologies as a fundamental part of expanding on-demand services and introducing new “microtransit programs”.
Improved technology also will be aimed at how the agency analyzes data with an eye toward better ridership projections to ensure Metro’s bus system has an adequate number of routes. It also will include exploration of other transit options, such as rideshare or carpool programs. Brock singled out Uber, the nationwide ride-share service which recently just posted its first year of profitability, as an existing transportation model to both aspire to and compete with.
One potential partner is Evolve Houston, a nonprofit that offers a free ride-share service called RYDE. The service uses electric vehicles to provide connections to grocery stores and healthcare facilities in underserved communities. The city of Houston approved $281,000 in increased funding in late November to expand the program. RYDE originally started in Third Ward last June.
Casey Brown, president and executive director of Evolve Houston, spoke during the public comment section of Thursday’s Metro board of directors meeting where he asked the board to consider funding further expansion.
Other options include expanding services Metro already offers, such as the agency’s “curb2curb” service, a daily on-demand shuttle available for anyone to use in certain neighborhoods without direct access to a Metro bus route. It currently is available only in Acres Home, Hiram Clarke, and Missouri City during the day and in Kashmere/Trinity Gardens at night.
Brock sees opportunity to provide smaller, all-electric shuttles that can address gaps in service to make transit more accessible.
Looking to smaller vehicles, ride-sharing
The idea of focusing on smaller vehicles and ride-share programs is not new in the public transit space. For Brock, the idea was sparked by her own observations of seeing “a lot of empty buses.”
Cora Johnson, a resident who spoke virtually during Thursday’s meeting, talked about the challenges of using the curb-to-curb shuttle service. Johnson said she regularly books rides for her son to get to school, but has to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to book rides a week in advance.
“I am appreciative for curb2curb, but I am competing with thousands upon thousands of Houstonians to share this ride,” Johnson said.
She also asked the board to consider putting more bus stops near the intersection of Airport Road and Buffalo Speedway.
“The goal is to have as many people take Metro as possible,” Brock told the Houston Landing. “Not just to serve people who need the system, but also to alleviate traffic congestion and to increase mobility.”
An all-electric shuttle service, according to Brock, would solve “first-mile-last-mile” mile connectivity problems while also providing a convenient avenue for new riders to experience the Metro system.
Alternative programs could have included Metro’s proposed bike share program, for which the board had approved contract negotiations last September. At the time, the plan was for the bike share program to be ready to launch this upcoming summer.
Those plans since have changed.
According to Jasien, Metro still is reviewing options with a focus on finding other potential partners for a bike share program. There are no firm dates for a launch of the program.
Other initiatives, such as Metro’s autonomous shuttle, bus rapid transit lines, including a proposed route in Gulfton, and an extension of light rail to Hobby Airport are being evaluated against what Brock sees as current rider needs.
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