[caption id="attachment_71693" align="aligncenter" width="3325"]The five bus routes in the Frequent Service Network connect to the two MetroRapid routes, which already provides frequent service. The five bus routes in the Frequent Service Network connect to the two MetroRapid routes, which already provides frequent service.[/caption] On June 7, Capital Metro launches its Frequent Service Network of five bus routes that will operate more frequently during peak hours.On June 7, Capital Metro is increasing the frequency of five bus routes in Austin during weekdays and Saturdays with a goal of providing more convenient service and better connectivity. "People need frequent service over the course of the day and not just during peak periods," said Todd Hemingson, vice president of strategic planning and development. The Frequent Service Network includes Routes 7, 300, 325 and 331, which will operate weekdays every 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes between 7 and 10 p.m. Route 20 will operate weekdays every 20 minutes between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. On Saturdays routes 7, 300, 325 and 331 will operate every 20 minutes between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The total operating cost of the FSN is about $2.1 million annually, and Capital Metro anticipates it could add between 600,000 and 1 million new trips annually, Hemingson said. "These are routes that are complementary to the MetroRapid routes and should provide improved connections because some routes meet both 803 and 801 in several different locations," Hemingson said. "It becomes easier to use transit for other purposes." Fares on MetroRapid are higher than on local bus routes. A day pass for MetroRapid, which includes local bus service, costs $3.50, and a day pass for local bus service is $2.50. The idea for the FSN was created in 2010 with the approval of the 2020 service plan, he said. It took five years to implement the FSN because Capital Metro did not have the resources to make the investment and was working to address financial issues revealed in the Sunset Advisory Committee report. With those issues resolved, Hemingson said it was feasible to use Capital Metro's surplus buses during the daytime hours to increase service on the five routes. Capital Metro plans to increase the FSN with Phase 2 in 2017 and Phase 3 in 2020. The agency will revise its 2020 service plan and analyze which routes would be the best to include, he said. For Phase 2, Capital Metro would need to purchase nine new buses to accommodate the additional routes. "Hopefully as we see Imagine Austin and compact and connected communities [implemented], then we could upgrade to 15 minutes around the clock," Hemingson said. He said Route 1—serving Metric and North Lamar boulevards and South Congress Avenue—and Route 3—serving Burnet Road and South Lamar Boulevard—could be added to the FSN but nothing is definite. The reason for not boosting frequency on Route 1 now, Hemingson said, came down to the investment Capital Metro already made on MetroRapid in the same corridor and not needing to purchase new buses for the five routes it chose to add to the FSN Phase 1.

Eye on a TIGER

On June 4, Capital Metro submitted an application to the Federal Transit Administration for a $23.2 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grant. Hemingson said the grant is a partnership with the city of Austin to improve MetroRapid service by adding eight new stops on the MetroRapid routes—for a total of 16 new stations—and building a new Park & Ride facility at the southern end of Route 803 near the Westgate center. The city would make bike and pedestrian improvements on Burnet Road and North Lamar Boulevard. The total cost of the improvements including the local match is $38.3 million, Hemingson said. Even though increasing the frequency of Route 1 is not on the immediate horizon, Hemingson said if Capital Metro is awarded the TIGER grant the improvements should aid service in the North Lamar corridor. "If we get more stops at key locations, hopefully it would address the concerns from customers that MetroRapid doesn't meet [their] needs," he said. "... Our preference is to make MetroRapid as good as it can be and make the local route a supplement." Hemingson said the agency had to submit an application for the grant because the FTA refused to allow Capital Metro to use the remaining $8 million from the original $38.1 million FTA grant. "We felt like we should have been given credit for being on time and under budget," Hemingson said. Capital Metro should hear back from the FTA on the grant by late summer or early fall.