Capital Metro will offer longer service hours and a special festival pass for Halloween, Fan Fest and other Formula 1 events to provide participants with safe transit to and from this weekend's events.
Formula 1 United States Grand Prix is hosting events Oct. 31–Nov. 2 at The Circuit of the Americas, 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. Fan Fest events will take place in downtown Austin.
Capital Metro Communications Specialist John Julitz said the agency decided to offer the transit pass because it knows a lot of residents and visitors will partake in the weekend's events.
"With Halloween on Friday, a lot of people will be out at Fan Fest and the entire weekend," he said. "We thought it would be a good idea to test out a weekend pass."
Transit riders may purchase an unlimited three-day festival pass to use on any bus route, including MetroRapid and MetroRail, from Oct. 31–Nov. 2. The pass costs $16.50 and is now available on Capital Metro's mobile app, which is free to download for iPhone, Android and Windows platforms.
Capital Metro is also extending its service hours for MetroRapid and MetroRail:
- Oct. 31: MetroRail will run until 2:30 a.m. on the northbound side while southbound trains will operate until 1 a.m. MetroRapid will also operate until 2:30 a.m.
- Nov. 1: MetroRail will operate 10:30 a.m.–midnight at all stations except Leander
- Nov. 2: MetroRail will operate 8 a.m.–7 p.m. at all stations except Leander
Riders may also use the Night Owl buses, which operate midnight–3 p.m. along five routes emanating from Sixth Street to local neighborhoods. Capital Metro will increase the frequency of those buses to every 15 minutes.
MetroRail costs $2.75 for a single trip or $5.50 for a day pass. MetroRapid is $1.50 for a single trip or $3 for a day pass. COTA will have a shuttle location at Trinity and Fourth streets, which is located adjacent to the downtown MetroRail station.
More information on the special service is available at www.capmetro.org/halloween or www.capmetro.org/f1.