Round Rock selects Star Shuttle to replace CARTS bus service

San Antonio company Star Shuttle & Charter has been selected to provide demand-response bus service in Round Rock after the City Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Alan McGraw to execute an agreement with the company.

Star Shuttle & Charter will replace the bus service that Capital Area Rural Transportation System has provided on a contractual basis since after the 2000 census.

CARTS notified the city last year it would not renew its contract to provide bus service to Round Rock.

The contract is for five years for between $400,000 and $460,000 per year. The total value of the contract is about $2.1 million. There are also two one-year options.

Star Shuttle will operate three buses within the city limits of Round Rock Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–6 p.m., except for holidays, starting June 1.

For now, there will not be any fare change from CARTS, though Round Rock Transportation Director Gary Hudder said the city may have to consider a rate study at some point in time.

Star Shuttle, a company that has been in business in Central Texas for about 20 years, was one of four vendors vying for the contract. Star Shuttle President and CEO John Walker said the company provides transportation for The University of Texas athletics and the Texas School for the Deaf, among others.