Capital Metro listens to you... bus service improvements

Capital Metro is continuing its efforts to improve bus service. This Fall 2000 service change is a key part of this effort and uses our Five-Year Plan as a foundation.

Changes for Fall 2000 include a combination of route changes, schedule adjustments, and service additions. Major changes are concentrated in two areas: Southwest Austin and Northeast Austin.

Why do we need changes?

Your input is important to us. Through public meetings, advisory committees, and reading customer comments and surveys, we were able to identify possible service improvements. Capital Metro is committed to providing bus service to fit the needs of Austin's growing community.

How did Capital metro plan for the changes?

Capital Metro set out to meet the following goals in order to improve service:

· To offer service expansion into unserved and under served areas

(specifically, high density commercial and residential areas).

· To reconsider current ends-of-routes located within neighborhoods.

· To improve express services including reverse commute

(service to employers outside the downtown area) and more direct trips.

· To look for opportunities to provide better cross-town service.

· To continue to review current interlines (route pairings), especially where ridership was not balanced between the pairs.

What do the changes mean to me?

Route restructuring has the potential for significant impacts on current passengers. Wherever possible, our goal is to improve or maintain service for the majority of current customers while attracting new riders. Unfortunately, changes will sometimes mean that there are existing riders who will not benefit from the changes and may be adversely affected in some cases.

Capital Metro is conscious of the potential for adverse impacts, and we have worked to inform and educate passengers of these changes through various means. Please call Capital Metro if you have questions about the service change process or individual service changes.

We have new Numbers for bus routes

Passengers will continue to see some unusual route numbers with the new changes. The new numbers reflect Capital Metro's goal to move gradually toward a more organized scheme of identification for different routes. Under the new scheme, route numbers apply as follows:

Range Services - Key Characteristics

1-99 Local Radial Routes - Multiple Stop service to and from Downtown

100-199 Limited and Flyer Routes - Limited Stop service to and from Neighborhoods and Downtown

200-299 Feeder Routes - Multiple Stop service to and from Neighborhoods and Transit Centers or Park & Rides

300-399 Cross-town Routes - Multiple Stop service that does not access Downtown

400-499 'Dillo and Special Routes - Downtown Circulators and Special Services

600-699 UT Routes - Limited Stop service to and from specific areas and UT

700-899 Apple Routes (AISD) - Limited Stop service to and from Neighborhoods and AISD Magnet Schools

900-999 Express Routes - Limited Stop service to and from Downtown and Park & Rides

Capital Metro is continuing to implement the new route numbers on all services.

Look for more adjustments in future service changes.