CapMetro Announces March 22 Opening for MetroRail

by: Katherine Haenschen

Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 02:48 PM CST

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, the new chair of the Capital Metro Board, released a comment on his website (and his Twitter feed) about the launch. Salient paragraphs excerpted below. You can read the full statement on the blog on his officeholder website.

MetroRail to begin March 22, 2010

The new board at Capital Metro has hit the ground running, and we are committed to working tirelessly on behalf of our communities to realize the mission of our organization. Our mission statement drives us to "provide high-quality, customer focused, effective and efficient transportation services and systems for our communities." To get our agency to the place we all want it to be, we must also gain the necessary community confidence that has not always proven to be there for us. If we strive to fulfill our mission statement exactly as it is stated, I believe that community confidence will follow.

We are all very aware our transit agency has a history with particular issues, and they tend to be the mainstays of people's perception that linger over our heads - a lot of which is not good. We cannot and will not shy away from our past. We must accept and embrace who and where we are today, learn from our past struggles, challenges and success, and move forward in our desire to make Capitol Metro the premier transit agency in the country.

Beyond rail, we have already begun making decisions to improve in strategic areas by creating a more active, involved board with new sub-committees to ensure a more direct interaction by board members on an ongoing basis and to create a more transparent decision making process. We have created a rail operations subcommittee to ensure MetroRail's success, a labor relations subcommittee to help relieve the strain from past negotiations, and an executive search subcommittee to spearhead the nationwide search for our next General Manager. We have also maintained the two existing board subcommittees - audit and finance, as well as operations and planning.

...

Without a doubt, our community demands and deserves a transit agency that is reflective of a world class city. I believe MetroRail will help us achieve that vision for our transit agency. Rest assured, there is no one on this board, nor within the agency, that believes otherwise. As we move forward, we will work on both short and long terms goals simultaneously, as one should not forsake the other. We no longer have the option of pitting one issue against another at CapMetro. It serves no purpose and does nothing to move this agency forward. I am confident with a new, engaged board and new executive leadership, CapMetro is on the road to success so that we can become an agency that not only earns the public trust, but also commands national respect.

Martinez has really hit the ground running since taking over the CapMetro board chairmanship. The previous chair, County Commissioner Margaret Gomez (recently victorious in a primary challenge to her seat) was not widely regarded for her leadership on that board. It is great to see him being so transparent about his leadership of the CapMetro board, and working hard to achieve tangible reports.

Consider this a good sign for the health of CapMetro, and hopefully a positive harbinger of things to come.

Capital Metro Should Exempt Seniors and Disabled Citizens from Fare Increase

by: Margaret Gomez

Wed Oct 28, 2009 at 03:29 PM CDT

Being chosen by my peers to chair the the Capital Metro Board has been an honor and a privilege.  It has also been one of the toughest volunteer jobs I have ever had.  We have dealt with accounting errors, a union strike and continuing delays in the opening of Metro Rail.  However, despite problems with agency's leadership, I never lost sight of my responsibility as chair of the board: to help Capital Metro provide an efficient and affordable system of public transportation that the people of Travis County can depend on and take pride in.

As chair, I have had to make many tough votes.  I stand by my vote against using one-time stimulus money to delay an inevitable fare increase.  As an avid supporter of rail, I believe the money is better spent investing in long-term improvements to our rail lines. 

As difficult as it is, a fare increase is needed to continue providing current level of service to the transit dependent. I am proud to say that Cap Metro's fares will remain among the most affordable in the nation.

I have expressed to leadership that I believe Capital Metro would benefit from an aggressive nationwide search for a new CEO with executive leadership experience.  We need someone who can run an agency successful, rather than someone who only has experience in transportation. 

Capital Metro has made mistakes, but this should not be one of them. There is no good reason not to exempt seniors and disabled citizens from a fare increase. My constituents in Precinct 4 and people from across the county understand this, too. Government should be there to help those who need it most, not increase their burden. In tough economic times, little things add up. For my constituents who receive Social Security and disability benefits, this is even more true.

There is a lot of work ahead at Capital Metro. To start, they should launch an aggressive nationwide search to insure we find the most qualified individual. Most importantly to the many people who rely on Capital Metro everyday, they can agree to exempt seniors and disabled citizens from a fare increase.

I look forward to hearing back from you all on this issue. Please leave your comments below or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or on my website.

Capital Metro Offering Free 7-Day Passes; Ridership Up

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Wed Jun 18, 2008 at 09:00 AM CDT

Anyways, tomorrow Capital Metro is taking part in Dump the Pump Day and offering free 7-day bus passes as part of a "Xtreme Transit Makeovers" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at 100 Congress Ave.

Daily Texan: The event's officials hope to convince potential riders who may be apprehensive about riding the bus to try a route free of charge, McKewen said. Capital Metro representatives at the event will help commuters by offering personalized route plans. Participants will also receive help in calculating how much they are decreasing the wear and tear of roads by riding buses.

Participants will receive a free seven-day pass on any shuttle. University students can always ride the bus free of charge with a UT student ID.

I also though this line was interesting from the article, indicative of the face that people are actually changing their habits based upon fuel prices.

From January through April, there was a 12.5 percent increase in shuttle ridership compared to the same period last year. Capital Metro spokeswoman Erica McKewen said she expects an even greater increase in May.

Of course, I've held out for about 7 years in never getting a car- much to the chagrin of some of my employers who may browbeat me yet into getting one. I'm so counterculture. (But I also like getting a paycheck.) **sigh**