AUSTIN, Texas — Project Connect's first milestone is almost complete.
Starting June 15, Capital Metro is launching a new zone for the agency's Pickup service in the Dessau neighborhood. Pickup is CapMetro's rideshare option. It costs $1.25, which is what the fare costs for MetroBus and MetroRapid.
CapMetro said this is the first step in Project Connect. The launch is part of an effort to expand neighborhood circulators to bring public transit to under-served communities in Austin.
“Even before Project Connect passed, Capital Metro has been focused on bringing more equitable transit options to neighborhoods in our service area,” said Randy Clarke, CapMetro CEO and president. “Our team is working tirelessly to implement the transit system Austinites approved, and launching Pickup Dessau is an early first step in keeping that promise.”
The Pickup service in the Dessau neighborhood will be available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to start. Then, in August, the service will expand in that neighborhood to Saturdays between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Capital Metro first piloted the Pickup service, in partnership with Via, in 2017 and 2018.
Project Connect was a massive public transit proposition passed by voters in the November 2020 election. The $7.1 billion plan will add two light rail lines, another commuter rail line, additional rapid bus service and more to Austin, with the potential to expand in the future to service areas like Tech Ridge and Elgin.
KVUE put together resources, including an interactive map of the plan, on kvue.com/projectconnect.
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