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Transit
Light-rail tunnel under downtown Austin might not happen after all
Some or all of Austin’s light-rail system could be at street level downtown instead of underground, which was the vision sold to voters when they authorized Project Connect in November 2020. The Austin Transit Partnership, a local government corporation created to build the Orange and Blue…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Nov 17, 2022
Broken buses slow Capital Metro schedules
Capital Metro bus commuters, already coping with reduced schedules put in place last year, are this week facing further frustrations as they try to catch a bus. The regional transit agency says a shortage of bus parts is keeping a…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Nov 2, 2022
City aims to get out of its own way with 'fast-track' permitting for Project Connect rail lines
An ordinance aimed at streamlining permitting for Project Connect has been making its way through boards and commissions in recent weeks – the latest sign of progress toward new rail and bus lines approved by voters in 2020. On Tuesday,…
Transit • By Jonathan Lee • Oct 24, 2022
Cap Metro previews impact of Manor and Lago Vista leaving service area
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors learned more this week about the potential fallout of both Lago Vista and Manor ending their partnerships and leaving the Capital Metro service area. In August, both suburbs decided to hold elections…
Transit • By Nina Hernandez • Sep 28, 2022
Featured Collection: Austin Energy 2022 rate case
Austin Energy ramps up outreach for proposed rate changes
Austin Energy has entered the public hearing phase of its base rate review process, following its proposal to raise service costs. The monthslong dialogue with stakeholders and city staff, slated for resolution by City Council in November, has surfaced predictable…
More Headlines for Austin Energy 2022 rate case
Two more Texas towns are considering leaving Capital Metro
Two more Austin suburbs – Lago Vista and Manor – have decided to hold an election this November to determine whether to pull out of their partnerships with the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. These elections follow Leander’s vote in May,…
Transit • By Samuel Stark • Sep 1, 2022
Real estate, transit leaders see potential for change in Project Connect plans
As planning and early design work on the Project Connect mass transit plan moves forward, with cost increases mounting due to inflation and scope expansion, a Dallas developer told Austin real estate leaders recently that the city has an opportunity…
Transit • By Chad Swiatecki • Sep 1, 2022
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Advocates continue the fight for free transportation for Austin's unhoused
The start of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s monthly board of directors meeting yesterday had a different feel than usual. Typically, a few speakers may approach the podium to speak in support of or against an item on the agenda. Yesterday, however, advocates and…
Transit • By Samuel Stark • Aug 30, 2022
Cap Metro struggles to recruit and retain more bus operators
Late last year, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority raised the starting hourly wage for bus drivers to $22/hour and kicked in a $5,000 signing bonus for qualified candidates with a commercial driver’s license. But despite these perks, the transit organization is…
Transit • By Samuel Stark • Aug 19, 2022
Austin Police Department Budget, 2012-2022
During the 2020-21 budget process, City Council cut $31.5 million from APD’s budget, citing the protests and “community outcry against the disproportionate impact of police violence on Black Americans, Latinx Americans and other non-white ethnic communities,” according to the approved…
Cap Metro expands free rides to cooling centers. Advocates for homeless Austinites push for more.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Tuesday it will give free rides to cooling centers on days when a heat advisory is in effect – that is usually when the temperature hits 103 degrees or higher. Previously, the transit agency offered…
Public Health • By Skye Seipp, KUT • Aug 11, 2022
Advocates call for free Cap Metro fares for Austin's unhoused
On Monday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved the implementation of a new system that caps the amount riders pay for fares. Another part of the system provides reduced fares for people with lower incomes, called Equifare. But before…
Transit • By Samuel Stark • Jul 27, 2022
Capital Metro hosts groundbreaking ceremony for its new station outside of Austin FC stadium
On Monday evening, following a compelling rendition by the Austin FC marching band of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” (singing “McKalla, ah la-la” instead of “Havana, ooh na-na”) state and local officials and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority staff participated in a groundbreaking…
Transit • By Samuel Stark • Jul 20, 2022
Capital Metro budget talk raises concerns of a looming recession
A potential recession has many industries feeling wary going into the 2023 financial year, which begins on Oct. 1. At its finance committee meeting Wednesday, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority executives discussed the agency’s budget for the upcoming financial year and…
