San Marcos City Council directed staff in a Feb. 5 work session to continue to move forward with its transit plan, which aims to combine the city’s bus service—CARTS—with the Texas State University Bobcat Shuttle system to create a more seamless public transportation system.

Currently, CARTS is the direct recipient of federal and state funding for transit. The city is aiming to transfer the role of direct recipient from CARTS to San Marcos by Oct. 1 so that the city can apply those funds to a broader local transportation system that would include both bus systems.

Texas State shuttle system saw 2,786,033 passenger trips in fiscal year 2017 compared with 63,511 on CARTS.

Mayor Jane Hughson told Community Impact Newspaper in December that by combining the services of CARTS and Bobcat Shuttles, residents would have a more connected public transit system that covers a greater distance and has longer operating hours.