A plan more than two years in the making, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s new bus network will begin running Aug. 16 throughout METRO’s service area, which includes Spring.

“Essentially we’re trying to make the system easier to use,” METRO board Member Christof Spieler said. “That includes making riders’ trips better and making transit an option for those who might not consider it.”

Spieler said the new network will make about two-thirds of the trips faster than the existing bus network. Kurt Luhrsen, vice president of planning for METRO, said the new plan also provides more weekend service with nearly every weekday route running on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s a very big deal for people who depend on the transit because people need to be able to travel on the weekend,” Spieler said.

Improved Spring service

METRO’s new bus network includes several changes in the Spring area, Luhrsen said. Existing service near I-45 provides one route that travels north on Kuykendahl Road with two branches that head east to the Spring Park and Ride and Lone Star College-North Harris or west down FM 1960 to the Willowbrook area.

“Essentially we’re trying to make the system easier to use. That includes making riders’ trips better and making transit an option for those who might not consider it.”

- METRO board Member Christof Spieler

The new network  will offer two separate routes—routes 86 and 99—that service the same areas to avoid confusion, Luhrsen said.

“We wanted to simplify and make it easier for existing customers and new customers,” he said.

Spieler said some minor changes were made along the Hwy. 249 corridor near The Vintage from the original reimagined network to better serve those residents looking for access to and from the area.

Route 44 will have shorter wait times at its stops than the route initially planned at The Vintage.

“Essentially the basic idea stayed the same,” Spieler said. “We found a different route to serve the same destination [based on community feedback]. That’s the great thing about seeking community feedback is that people know their community really well.”

Luhrsen said there will be two routes along Veterans Memorial Drive: Route 108, which travels to downtown Houston only during weekday peak hours, and Route 96, which makes trips to the Northline Transit Center every day.

The region could also see some bus stop improvements, Luhrsen said.

“That’s not to say every stop is going to have a bench or shelter or trash can, but we’re looking to make [our stops] compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” he said.

Future of local transit

Despite growth in northwest Harris County, Luhrsen said there are no plans for future park and rides in the Spring area. He said METRO has had preliminary conversations with Springwoods Village developers about setting aside land for a park and ride.

“They’ve been back and forth on whether they want to do that,” Luhrsen said. “They’re much more excited about dedicating and setting aside land and room for a light rail expansion. It’s going to be some time before light rail makes it all the way out to Springwoods Village.”

Although there is not much bus or rail service in the Spring or Klein region north of FM 1960 despite the region paying a 1 cent sales tax to METRO, Spieler said the region still relies heavily on local park and rides as well as METRO’s van pools.

“We see really good ridership in those areas,” Spieler said. “Even if you aren’t riding transit, the fact that other people are taking transit takes a lot of cars off the roadways.”

Spieler said the Hwy. 249 corridor has been considered for a commuter rail line, but the lack of a high occupancy vehicle lane limits METRO’s options in that region.

METRO has also talked with Texas Central Railway, the company behind a privately funded high-speed rail from Houston to Dallas that could break ground in 2016 or 2017 and travel along Hwy. 290.

“They value transit where they place the Houston station,” Spieler said. “I think that discussion will continue.”