Capital Metro, a public transportation provider in the Austin metropolitan area, could be growing its presence in Hays County.
The cities of Kyle and Buda have been in talks with the Austin-based regional mass transit organization about potentially providing transit services to the two cities. The details of what that service will look like have yet to be determined.
Michelle Meaux, regional coordination planner for Capital Metro, said the organization is working with Kyle on a transit development plan, to study what types of transportation services might suit the city.
Buda City Council deferred studying mass transit options until the first or second quarter of FY 2015, when the city can evaluate whether it has enough money in the coffers, Mayor Todd Ruge said.
"Council agreed we should re-examine," Ruge said. "It's something that, as we grow, we really need to look into."
Kyle currently offers demand-response services through the Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or CARTS, in which customers can request a ride 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Mon.–Fri.
But the city began paying $54,000 a year for the service after the U.S. Census designated it an urbanized area, thereby making it ineligible for grant funds through the federal nonurbanized formula assistance program for public transportation. The $54,000 Kyle pays is matched by the Federal Transit Administration.
Some on Kyle City Council found difficulty justifying spending such an amount on a service used by fewer than 20 people a month.
"It's a service we are funding to meet the needs of the people," Kyle spokesman Jerry Hendrix said.
Hendrix said the service provides transportation options for those who are transit-dependent. Users take the buses for purposes such as medical appointments and shopping. It is not a service whose success can be easily measured, he said.
One option could see Buda and Kyle partner on a transit plan that could provide more comprehensive but cost-effective services, as the costs would be shared by the two cities.
The introduction of the Austin Community College Hays campus as well as Seton Medical Center Hays has created demand for transportation services in the area, Meaux said.
She said she hopes to present her findings to the city of Kyle in the coming months.
No date appears to be decided yet, but Hendrix said the city will await contact from Capital Metro.
"It's our hope to be able to work toward more robust transit service," he said.
