Houston’s Metro will operate on a new bus network with 22 bus routes and three light-rail lines on a daily basis starting in August. The five-year plan is expected to revitalize the entire bus system, a big step from the little change shown since 1980.

To catch up with the development and population trends of the city, the New Bus Network was put in place to meet the needs of the more than a million passengers. This redesign of the bus networks aims to more fully integrate the bus and rail networks into “a seamless system to better serve riders.”

“Students come from all over the region to attend classes at the University of Houston and they reside in communities throughout the Metro service area so it is difficult to tell what route they are using,” said head of the Public Affairs outreach for the Southeast Sector Metro Service Area Antoine Bryan.

University of Houston students can ride for half off with their student discount.

Several major service improvements featured in the plan will make trips 60 percent faster. Nearly a third of trips between 30 key destinations become faster by at least 10 minutes. Crossings at freight railroad tracks are reduced by 30 percent, which means customers will have a better experience with timeliness.

Metro expects ridership to increase by an estimated 20 percent or more within the next two years, 94 percent can still board at the same stops, so current riders don’t have to worry about any drastic changes but look forward to the much needed updates.

With four red bus routes – New Bus Network Routes 4 Beechnut, 25 Richmond, 54 Scott, and 80 Lockwood/ MLK – and the purple rail line serving the main campus, Cougars have options to visits many destinations.

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“Metro unveils new routing network” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar