There’s an important public meeting coming up on Tuesday, June 30 about transit in Gulfton. Here’s what you need to know.
Where: Baker Ripley Gulfton Sharpstown Campus – 6500 Rookin St. Houston, TX 77074
What Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
If you need accommodations: Please call 713-739-4018 or email METROPublicAffairs@RideMETRO.org to request language assistance or other accommodations at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, free of charge.
This meeting will cover many different topics – some of which have been in the works for almost a decade, including:
- Gulfton Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT) – a key part of the METRONext plan passed by 68% in 2019
- Removal of the 309/310 Gulfton Circulator and replacement with a new Gulfton curb2curb service
- Projects by Harris County Precinct 4, including improvements to parks, sidewalks, lighting, bus shelters, and more.
Why is this meeting happening now?
The community is certainly overdue for an update on all of the projects coming to Gulfton. A big driver for the timeline is that METRO is applying for a federal grant to fund the Gulfton BRT project in August and needs to complete public engagement before they submit the application.
It's exciting that METRO is moving forward with the Gulfton BRT project. However, it's important to keep in mind that a few things have changed.
First of all, the route for the Gulfton BRT service has changed.
In the METRONext Plan, the Gulfton BRT was planned to connect to the Silver Line, the existing Bus Rapid Transit line from the Galleria to the Northwest Transit Center. Running these two as a single line would provide a north/south route connecting to key METRO routes and, critically, would be completely separated from general traffic, allowing buses to run quickly and predictably.
Now, the Gulfton BRT is proposed to run north to the Galleria, and then east on Westheimer to Downtown in mixed traffic. For the majority of this new route, buses would be competing with cars.
It will be very difficult to run this service with the same level of reliability.
Next, the street design for the Gulfton BRT has also changed.
Previously on Gulfton Street, buses would get one dedicated lane in each direction, and cars would get another. Now, cars will get two lanes in each direction, and buses will share a single lane and alternate directions.
This street will be much wider than it needs to be, meaning more concrete, fewer trees, and more heat.
What's happening with the Gulfton Circulator and curb2curb?
METRO is proposing to replace the existing Gulfton Circulator routes – 309 and 310 – with a new curb2curb zone. In October 2025, METRO first proposed to eliminate the 309 and 310 without a replacement service. Now, they are proposing to introduce curb2curb in Gulfton – METRO’s demand-response microtransit service – and then remove routes 309 and 310.
Microtransit like curb2curb can be a useful tool, but in dense neighborhoods like Gulfton, it can be difficult to keep up with demand. At a certain point, it is more efficient to carry more people with fewer vehicles on fixed route buses. The current Gulfton Circulator routes are average performers among METRO’s blue routes, with average boardings per hour around 15 passengers.
Using curb2curb also requires a smartphone app and electronic payment method to book a ride, while fixed route buses accept cash. It will be important to know how many existing riders are using cash, and whether they will be able to use the new curb2curb service easily.
What do you think about changes to the Gulfton BRT, Gulfton Circulator, curb2curb, and other Gulfton projects? Join the meeting on June 30 to let METRO and Harris County Precinct 4 know!
