The MetroRapid Project

Limited stops, boarding from all doors, unique stops with real-time bus arrival information, sleek buses equipped with signal priority technology - these and other features will result in greatly improved service to major destinations such as downtown Austin, the state capitol complex and the University of Texas campus.

MetroRapid will offer service seven days a week. Frequencies for weekday service will vary from 10 to 20 minutes. Weekend service will be every 20-30 minutes.

The routes, North Lamar/South Congress and Burnet/South Lamar, are anticipated to begin service in 2014.

Funding
The $47.6 million MetroRapid project is funded with assistance from the Federal Transit Administration's Small Starts program. The grant will provide 80% of project funding, with Capital Metro providing the rest.

The MetroRapid fleet will include 22 sixty-foot buses and 18 forty-foot buses equipped with signal priority technology. As a MetroRapid bus approaches an intersection, it will communicate with the signal to extend a green light a few seconds to allow the vehicle to pass. Any extra time will be coordinated with the next signal cycle to ensure synchronization is preserved.

MetroRapid vehicles will operate on clean diesel fuel and meet the Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 emissions standards.

Other features include:

• Low-floor boarding
• Vehicle location system
• Accommodations for two wheelchairs and two bikes*
• 60-foot buses carry up to 111 people per bus (56 seated)
• 40 foot buses carry up to 78 people per bus (35 seated)

*Capital Metro is exploring options for increased wheelchair and bike capacity.

MetroRapid will serve a total of 77 stops on both routes, including 12 shared stops in the downtown and UT area. Stations will be spaced approximately one mile apart and in proximity to local bus routes and two MetroRail stations for easy connections.

Tech Ridge Park & Ride, North Lamar Transit Center and South Congress Transit Center are incorporated into the MetroRapid system.

Station amenities include:

• Shelters
• Benches
• Lighting
• Signage
• Real-time MetroRapid arrival information

Q: Will MetroRapid operate on weekends?
A: Yes, the current plan provides service seven days a week at varying times and frequencies.

Q: Will there be a higher fare for MetroRapid?
A: At this time, we expect MetroRapid fares will be comparable to MetroBus service.

Q: What method will be used for fare collection?
A: Similar to bus, MetroRapid fares and passes will be sold onboard the vehicles, at participating retail outlets and at capmetro.org. Additionally, Capital Metro is working with the City of Austin to include MetroRapid one-way fare tickets available for purchase from ticket vending machines (TVMs) at select downtown locations.

Passengers with pre-purchased fare media may enter any door and insert their ticket into the ticket validator. Passengers without a pre-purchased fare must board through the front door and purchase a fare from the farebox.

Q: Will bicyclists load their bicycles inside the bus? If so, how many can a MetroRapid bus handle?
A: An evaluation is underway to determine the feasibility for loading up to three bicycles inside MetroRapid vehicles versus the front of the vehicle.

Q: Will the larger buses that carry more people and bikes also carry more than two passengers using wheelchairs?
A: The standard bus configuration is two wheelchair positions.However, Capital Metro is currently evaluating the feasibility of adding a third wheelchair position along with the associated costs and potential impacts to schedules and passenger seating.

Q: Will transfers between MetroBus Route 1 and the North Lamar/South Congress MetroRapid route (801) be coordinated so that it's easy to transfer between the two?
A: Transfers will not be timed due to the differingaverage speeds and service frequencies. However, connecting between the routes will be made more convenient by the frequent operation of MetroRapid, with service every 10 minutes in the peak periods and every 15 minutes during non-peak periods.

Q: How will MetroRapid affect the MetroBus Route 101 and Route 1?
A: North Lamar/South Congress line will replace Route 101 and will complement Route 1, which is expected to seea modest reduction in service frequency as it transitions to a local supporting route for the primaryMetroRapid service.

Q: How do you plan on reducing boarding times?
A: The majority of current Capital Metro passengers pre-purchase their fare; therefore, we expect many passengers to be able to enter through any door, speeding up boarding times. Also, the MetroRapid vehicle doors will be wider than a typical bus allowing for faster boarding.

Q: Has Capital Metro modeled dedicated lanes for MetroRapid in the urban core?
A: Yes, Capital Metro partnered with the City of Austin to model the impact of dedicating transit lanes fromMLK to Lady Bird Lake. The results are not yet final, but there are reasonable assumptions that transit lanes can be used to improve bus operations without significant adverse impacts to overall traffic.

Q: Will any percentage of the routes have dedicated running lanes?
A: Yes, we are working with the City of Austin on the intent of having dedicated lanes in the sections of Guadalupe and Lavaca between MLK Blvd andCesar Chavez in place upon opening. We will continue to work with the City and other partners to explore additional opportunities for transit priority treatments, which could include more dedicated lanes or other configurations such as queue jumpers at congested intersections.

Q: Will solar panels be on top of the shelter?
A: The roof is metal and does not have solar panels.

Q: Can you access the route's predicted arrival time from your computer so you can plan when to leave for the stop?
A: Yes, the real-time bus arrival system is expected to provide this feature.

Q: How much does one of the MetroRapid Vehicles cost?
A: The 60-foot bus costs $663,273 and the 40-foot bus costs $460,452. The federal funding will cover 80 percent of the cost of the vehicles and Capital Metro will provide 20 percent.

Q: What are your metrics for ridership and service figures?
A: Ridershipestimates were based on the experiences of similarservices atother transit agencies and the characteristics of the two MetroRapid corridors.The national experience has shown that a significant part of the benefit of a BRT routecomes as a result of a comprehensive approach, including branding and marketing of a new service.

Q: Why not designate current stops for MetroRapid service first, and start running the new service while rolling out the new stations?
A: The federal grant for the MetroRapid project requires that all system construction be completed before service can be initiated.

Q: Is there a significant travel time advantage for the Burnet/South Lamar route over just adding limited stop service with existing equipment along that route?
A: Yes, transit signal priority provides a substantial benefit over limited stop service alone. The travel timesavings in a relatively short section may not impact an individual trip, but the benefits accrueover dozens of trips per day, hundreds per week, and many thousands of trips per year allowing Capital Metro to provide more servicewith fewer buses at a lower cost.

Q: Being visually impaired it's difficult to read the signs on the front of the bus, will the new MetroRapid buses speak like the current buses?
A: Yes, the new vehicles will provide audible notice.

Q: Is there any chance of having bus stops with an enclosed waiting space in the future?
A: There are no plans for enclosed waiting spaces at this time.

Q: Will there be the same situation as in a regular bus in regards to bus stop requests? (i.e. If there is no request for a stop, the bus keeps going?)
A: Yes

Q: How much training is necessary for operators to learn how to drive the MetroRapid buses?
A: Any time Capital Metro begins new type of bus or start a new route, training is provided to our bus operators.The vehicles on the North Lamar/South Congress route will be sixty-foot articulated buses.These vehicles are designed so that the back portion of the bus follows exactly behind the front portion, which makes driving it essentially the same as driving a regular forty-foot bus. Once the vehicles arrive, Capital Metro will work with the manufacturer to identify and implement the training curriculum.