CapMetro breaks record for ridership

Capital Metro officials have reported that the agency had record-breaking ridership on its buses and trains from March 13-22, corresponding with the main stretch of South by Southwest 2015. The agency provided extended services to help relieve some of the congestion caused by the event, which equated to 1,700 additional hours of service. Several MetroRapid bus routes extended services March 21 until 2:30 a.m. The regular weekend service ends at 12:30 a.m. MetroRail also extended its services throughout the week. Midday trains ran every 30 minutes. Routes to ABIA and late-night buses also ran every 15 minutes during the festival. Ridership on MetroRapid and MetroRail topped last year’s event by 15 percent and peaked on March 20, which saw over 9,000 rides. Ridership on March 21 reached 8,500 boardings. CapMetro’s average weekday ridership in February was 2,653. The SXSW extra services cost approximately $350,000, said John Julitz, communications specialist with CapMetro.