METRO Board Members and staff, my name is Jonathan Brooks and I am the director of policy and planning at LINK Houston. We advocate for a robust and equitable transportation network so that all people can reach opportunity. METRO’s transit services are a key element of affordable, equitable transportation in our region.

On April 26, our director Oni Blair shared comments regarding our support for METRO’s pursuit of quality transit services, especially to local bus. As we stated, in our outreach we hear: make the bus come more often, repair the sidewalk or shelter, have the bus/train run longer, and make sure the bus shows up and doesn’t leave early. We called for a public transit network that is frequent, universally accessible, available (extended span of service), and reliable. We know these things take time and cost money.

We support the proposed service adjustments aimed at improved on-time reliability (i.e., especially routes 11, 40, 48, 65, 85, and 161) and higher frequency through more bus trips (i.e., routes 8 and 99). We recognize any route modification requires extensive planning, capital expense (i.e., signs, materials, and buses), and ongoing operating expense.

I am here to state our support for those route modifications. I am also here to suggest METRO consider additional, further service adjustments in the future. Following our April comments, we began earnestly researching options for recommendations for increased frequency (ending 60-minute headways and moving to more frequent local bus services). Our basic selection criteria to identify local bus routes to move from low-frequency to higher-frequency are:

  • Route has present 60-minute headway some portion of some days;
  • Route serves under-resourced communities;
  • Route connects riders to job centers;
  • Route has greater than or equal to 15 boardings per revenue hour

(average boardings per revenue hour for “green” routes was 15.7 in February 2018)

  • Route has greater than or equal to 1.3 boardings per revenue mile

(average boardings per revenue mile for “green” routes was 1.3 in February 2018)

Based on the above criteria for increased frequency, we recommend that METRO increase the frequency on the following routes to blue 30-minute frequency during all operating hours, seven days a week.

  • #3 Langley (NE/Tidwell/Little York to North/Near Northside) – Green Route
    1. Present frequency: 60-minute peak, 60-minute off-peak
    2. Recommended frequency: 30-minute
    3. Key destinations: Barbara Jordan High School – Hardy Yards/Burnett Transit Center – Casa de Amigos Health Center – Dodson Lake Park – Kashmere Transit Center – La Nueva Casa Health Center – Langston Family Life Center
  • #5 Southmore (NE to Midtown/Third Ward) – Green Route
    1. Present frequency: 30-minute peak, 60-minute off-peak, 60-minute weekends
    2. Recommended frequency: 30-minute
    3. Key destinations: Barnett Stadium – Cesar E. Chavez High School – Palm Center – Quentin Mease Community Hospital – Southeast Transit Center – Museum District/Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Wheeler Transit Center
  • #87 Sunnyside (South/Sunnyside to TMC) – Green Route
    1. Present frequency: 30-minute peak, 60-minute off-peak, 60-minute off-peak
    2. Recommended frequency: 30-minute
    3. Key destinations: Fannin South Transit Center – HCC – South Campus – MD Anderson Cancer Center – Palm Center – Star of Hope Cornerstone Community – Sunnyside Health Center – Sunnyside Multi-Service Center – Sunnyside Park – Texas Medical Center – TMC Transit Center
  • #99 Ella/1960 (NW/Acres Home to 1960) – Green Route
    1. Present frequency: 30-minute peak, 60-minute off-peak, 60-minute off-peak
    2. Recommended frequency: 30-minute
    3. LINK Houston welcomes the proposed increase in weekday frequency to 30-minutes all day, but we also recommend METRO increase weekend frequency.

[METRO Board Committee discussion had apparently already directed staff to propose 30-minute headway all days of the week. This was related by staff during the hearing.]

  1. Key destinations: Cypress Station Shopping Center – Greenspoint Mall – Greenspoint Transit Center – Houston Northwest Medical Center – Lone Star College – Greenspoint Center – Lone Star College – North Harris – North Shepherd Park & Ride – Spring Park & Ride – US Immigration Office
  • #11 Almeda/Lyons (East/Denver Harbor to S/SW/Hiram Clarke) – Blue Route
    1. Present frequency: 15-30 minute peak, 30-60 minute off-peak, 30-60 minute weekends
    2. Recommended frequency: 30-minute
    3. LINK Houston welcomes the proposed adjustments to target running time improvements between timepoints. This recommendation is for further improvement by ensuring blue frequency service.
    4. Key destinations: Downtown Transit Center – Fannin South Transit Center – Fifth Ward / Denver Harbor Transit Center – HCC – Main Campus – HCC – Northeast Campus – Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center – Hiram Clarke Transit Center – Medical Center Station Post Office – NRG Park – Texas Health and Human Services – Townwood Park – VA Hospital

LINK Houston generally recommends that weekend service frequency match weekday service frequency. Also, we recognize that there may be portions of the day when it is advisable for METRO to add one or two bus trips to improve reliability and ensure rider expectations for frequency are met.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our recommendations.