Recent upgrades include the addition of a third vehicle to the CARTS NOW fleet, while developments on the horizon include an expansion of the Bastrop Park & Ride Station and a new transit app.
A Bastrop Mobility Hub, which is currently being engineered as part of the Bastrop Park & Ride Station expansion, could incorporate supportive elements like an electric bike rental station through a partnership with CapMetro after the city of Austin was recently awarded funding through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
“We would be asking for two electric bike stations: one to put at our Bastrop Park & Ride Station, and then one to put at a Micro-Mobility Hub that we have in town,” said Dana Platt, community engagement coordinator for CARTS. “It would allow people to cross the bridge into the city, dump their bikes, and then shop and eat.”
The Bastrop Mobility Hub is slated for a 2027 delivery window, but the new transit app, where riders will be able to access all of CARTS services, is scheduled to launch in August, according to CARTS.
“It’s basically a one-stop shop for CARTS services,” Platt said of the app, which has been in development for over a year. “It also will work with CapMetro, so all of their services will be there as well.”
The framework
The public agency, which is funded at the local, state and federal levels, spans 10 counties in Central Texas, including Bastrop County, and tailors services to each community’s needs. For the city of Bastrop, the primary need is CARTS NOW—a micro-transit, on-demand service.
This service runs 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is accessible via the existing CARTS NOW app that can be downloaded online. Rides are priced at $2 for a one-way trip, $6 for an all-day pass and $88 for a monthly pass with half-price fares for seniors 65 years and older, individuals with disabilities, and children 12 years and younger.
Although the app is not required, since riders can book a ride by calling 512-505-5666, there are several advantages to the mobile option, according to CARTS officials.
“It actually tells you who your driver is, you can see the van, and there’s a couple of options that you can choose from,” Platt said. “Maybe you’re not ready in five minutes and you want the van to come a little bit later. Those are some of the benefits with the app, and we’ve noticed that the app uses are increasing as opposed to the phone.”
The specifics
There were more than 25,000 total riders over a nine-month period in Bastrop. Now, a further increase in ridership is possible with the additional third vehicle—purchased with funding through the Texas Department of Transportation—serving the newly expanded CARTS NOW service area in Bastrop, according to officials.
“We noticed that Bastrop and Lockhart were the largest riderships, and our wait times started to increase,” said Platt, who noted how she has offered training sessions at senior centers. “We’re now at a five- to seven-minute wait time, so I'm very excited about that.”
From January through May, CARTS NOW reported consistently high customer satisfaction in Bastrop. Across all trips:
- Five-star ratings averaged around 9.6% and peaked at 10.67% in March.
- Four-star ratings remained low but steady and averaged about 0.3%.
- Negative ratings were below 0.15% each month.
- Approximately 89%-91% of trips were not rated.
There are alternate trip options for Bastrop residents who are not in a CARTS NOW service area, such as the CARTS Country Bus service, which requires a reservation in advance by phone at 512-478-7433.
“It’s a country bus because it serves the really rural hoots and hollers of the county,” Platt said. “It’ll get out into those dirt roads and pick those people up at their house and take them locally where they need to go.”
Fares depend on how far a rider travels, but a partnership with the Capital Area Council of Governments and the Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area has made this service free for seniors 60 years and older. This initiative was in response to fewer seniors leaving their homes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We really wanted to get them back out to the community centers, to the food pantries, to connect with neighbors, to get their hair done, and just to be part of the community,” Platt said.
