METRO transit authority shifts focus away from bus rapid transit to safety and cleanliness

From Houston Public Media:

On a warm Wednesday morning before the Fourth of July, about a dozen people waited for a bus at the Hillcroft Park & Ride in Gulfton. None of the riders were eager to speak with a reporter at 7 a.m. on the Wednesday before the Fourth of July, though one said the bus service there is already fast enough.

The Gulfton neighborhood could have seen even faster service if METRO chose to proceed with the University Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. In 2023, former METRO Board Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran described it as a “transformational project for the region.”

“It ties into over a dozen of our high-frequency bus routes, ties into all three light rail lines, ties into the Innovation Hub, eight of our transit centers and so much more,” Ramabhadran said. “And of course, the reason it’s the University Corridor is three campuses of the Houston Community College System, the University of St. Thomas, Texas Southern University, and the University of Houston.”

But the University Corridor BRT is shelved for now. The decision marked a shift in focus for the METRO transit authority.

‘COVID changed the way we operate’

Newly appointed METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock pointed to low ridership and financial concerns as the primary reasons for the University Corridor reversal.

“In terms of our finances, looking at the data that we had in front of us, we had to make some tough decisions,” Brock said in an interview with Houston Public Media. “We know that our ridership is down. A lot has changed since COVID. COVID changed the way we operate.”

While ridership across the transit authority’s services has increased so far this year compared to 2023, fewer people are taking the bus, light rail and Park & Ride than before the pandemic. In 2019, METRO’s Park & Rides saw an average total monthly ridership of more than 660,000 boardings each month. So far in 2024, average monthly ridership is down to about 315,000.

Brock is one of six new directors on the nine-member METRO Board. She was appointed by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and confirmed by city council.

“I’m focused on, first, our Northstar being ridership, and also making sure that we’re customer-centric,” Brock said. “We’re focused on being the METRO that people want to and choose to use, versus the METRO that people have to use.”

Alexandra del Moral Mealer is also new to the METRO Board. She previously ran as a Republican for Harris County Judge and was appointed to the METRO board by the mayors of suburban cities in Harris County.

“I’m embarrassed and alarmed that we have elderly waiting in the heat without bus shelters or young mothers that have to navigate transit centers surrounded by trash, narcotics activity, as well as the smell of urine,” Moral Mealer said during the June METRO Board meeting. “Despite the success of METRO’s location, I think often it’s operating more as a last stop for behavioral health and homeless shelter. I’m excited that Chair Brock was willing to take the pause so we can focus on fundamentals and really invest in our existing transit.”

Brock said the University Corridor BRT decision could be reconsidered in the future.

But during the June 25 Harris County Commissioners meeting, Democratic Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis argued the decision to not pursue federal funds effectively ends the project. The Federal Transit Administration had pledged to cover 60% of the cost of the project before the estimated price tag ballooned from $1.565 billion to $2.28 billion.

“You can say you’re doing something else, but I think you are killing it,” Ellis said.

Republican Precinct Three Commissioner Tom Ramsey echoed the calls by METRO’s new leadership to focus on basic services.

“We must make METRO safer,” Ramsey said. “We must make METRO cleaner.”

What’s next for METRONext?

The University Corridor BRT was one of three bus rapid transit programs that fell under the METRONext umbrella, with the University Corridor representing 25 miles of a planned 75-mile rapid transit expansion. METRONext — METRO’s ambitious plan to improve public transit across Harris County — was tied to a $3.5 billion bond approved by 68% of Houston-area voters in 2019.

“I think (the University Corridor decision) is gonna have an impact on another bond issue that we do, one that a school district may do, the city may do, because at some point the public will say how do we trust them?” Ellis said.

“I think it’s the opposite,” Brock told Houston Public Media. “I think it will build trust because the first thing we have to do to build trust is acknowledge we have a problem. Second, we have to apologize.”

The other two major METRONext rapid transit projects are the Gulfton and Inner Katy BRT lines. According to Brock, the Inner Katy BRT project is “under review.”

“That is a very, very busy corridor, and there’s just a lot to be reviewed there,” she said.

When it comes to the Gulfton line, Brock said the transit authority has been “collaborating with Mayor Whitmire and Commissioner Briones to make that a viable project.”

Critics argued the shelving of the University Corridor project undercuts a key pillar of METRONext.

“The METRONext program was looked at as in its totality, and there’s three big programs,” METRO board member Roberto Treviño told the Harris County Commissioners Court last month. “There was little to no discussion of ‘Hey, did we look at delaying projects, phasing projects, extending projects, segmenting projects?’ … When we say we don’t have the money for it, well, what creative options do we put on the table? Maybe one of those projects could be delayed a year or two.”

As Brock pointed out, METRONext is about more than rapid transit bus lines.

“People, I guess, have this impression that METRONext is just about BRT,” Brock said. “There’s about 16 different items that are involved in METRONext that are beyond BRT, including safety, including other items — sidewalks, road improvements, things that we can do that are part of METRONext and that are well underway.”

Former METRO board member Lex Frieden said the other components of METRONext, like increased accessibility for people with disabilities, are important. But he was confused by the decision to shelve the University Corridor line.

“Many people were looking forward to being able to use some of the rapid transit lines in order to hurry up their transit,” Frieden said. “Those people are frustrated, and if they sort of drop out and go buy a car, or start depending on mobility that involves individual transit, all they’re doing is filling up the roads more and creating more exhaust and more pollution in the environment.”

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