Capital Metro is expanding its service for South by Southwest and adding options to improve on the service it offered last year and for the Formula 1 race last November.

"What we learned from F1 is we needed to do a better job with signage, both with open bus stops and closed ones," spokeswoman Erica Macioge said.

To remedy this, the agency will put up neon green flags that say "Open Stop" and place neon pink T-shirts over the closed bus stop signs. A select number of stops downtown will be closed because of detours.

During SXSW 2012, Capital Metro President/CEO Linda Watson said, ridership on buses, especially ones that served the downtown area, saw a 36 percent to 75 percent increase in ridership.

As a result, the agency is increasing the frequency on four bus routes, including Route 100, which serves the Austin Bergstrom International Airport and downtown.

Other changes include:

Increasing frequency to every 15 minutes on MetroAirport Route 100 that runs from the airport to downtown via Riverside Drive. This route will be the only bus to run on Congress Avenue on March 8–17. Capital Metro is also adding four stops in each direction on Riverside.

Expanding service hours and increasing frequency on MetroRail. Macioge said that during SXSW 2012, trains running on weekdays were overcrowded on their midday runs. Service will run every 34 minutes starting March 11. Service hours are 6 a.m.–6:30 p.m. March 11–14; 6 a.m.–midnight March 8 and 15; 10 a.m.–midnight March 9 and 16; and no service on Sundays, March 10 and 17.

Shifting regular bus service from Congress Avenue to Guadalupe and Lavaca streets for easier transfers

Providing E-bus late-night service for both SXSW weekends from 8:30 p.m.–3 a.m. Riders may also catch a Night Owl bus that runs every 30 minutes from midnight–3 a.m.

Capital Metro is distributing maps with more detailed information on routes, open stops and Night Owl and E-bus pickups. Additional information is available at www.capmetro.org/sxsw2013.