Buda City Council will receive a presentation at its meeting Aug. 15 regarding the city’s Transit Development Plan, created in partnership with Capital Metro. The area has seen significant growth in recent years, and the need for public transportation has also increased, according to agenda documents.

The background

City Council approved an interlocal agreement with CapMetro in September 2022 to develop the transportation plan following workshops that brought about options for establishing a fixed-route transit system or service in the city.

The agreement with CapMetro allows for federal funds to be used to create the plan.

The purpose of the plan is to outline something community driven with viable and sustainable transportation options for the next several years, according to the presentation.

The approach

To create a community-driven plan, the city and CapMetro conducted community engagement with local stakeholders and the community through surveys and open house events.

Surveys garnered engagement with 822 residents, but the highest numbers came from online outreach at 1,432 residents.

More than 50% of survey respondents said they would prefer a local fixed-route service for transportation as opposed to an on-demand or ride-hailing service, such as Uber or Lyft.

The options

There are three service options that have come out of the Transit Development Plan draft:

• Option 1 would be to add a stop along the Capital Area Rural Transportation System 1510 Yellow Route, which runs to and from Austin and San Marcos.
• Option 2 would be to implement a weekday commuter service connecting Buda to CapMetro's Southpark Meadows Park & Ride station.
• Option 3 is a combination of multiple services, including the Option 1 stop addition, a CapMetro pickup service at various spots in Buda and a weekday commuter service connecting Buda to downtown Austin.

What's next?

City Council is set to adopt the plan Sept. 5.