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The following is an alphabetical listing of services, tools, and resources mentioned in the 2014 greater Houston region Commuter and Employer Transportation Survey.
BikeHouston
BikeHouston.org provides individuals with information about bicycling in Houston, bike shops and clubs, bicycle safety and laws, and bicycling events around Houston. Learn More
Bikeway Program, City of Houston
The City of Houston offers over 300 miles of interconnected bikeway network spanning more than 500 square miles. The network includes bike lanes, bike routes, signed-shared lanes and shared-use paths, commonly referred to as ‘hike and bike’ trails, which includes rails to trails, and other urban multi-use paths. In addition to these bicyclist transportation facilities, there are over 80 miles of hike and bike and nature trails found in City of Houston parks. In addition, Harris County and many municipal utility districts have constructed over 160 miles of bikeways within the City limits. Learn More
Carma
Carma is a phone application that introduces you to people with similar commutes. Riders hop in cars with drivers. Drivers log when they have a rider and receives reimbursement for the expense. Learn More
Colorado Valley Transit
Colorado Valley Transit District (CVTD), or “The Transit”, is a rural transit system that serves four counties: Austin County, Colorado County, Waller County, and Wharton County. Colorado Valley Transit was founded in 1986 in Colorado County; later the same year service was expanded to Austin and Waller counties; and in 1989 service was expanded into Wharton County. Learn More
Emergency Ride Home
– Refer to Guaranteed Ride Home Programs
Energy Corridor, Route 75 Eldridge Crosstown
The METRO Route 75 Eldridge Crosstown provides transit service to employees, residents and visitors in the Energy Corridor. Stops include the METRO Addicks and Mission Bend Park & Rides connecting riders to downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center, as well as many popular area destinations and employment sites. Learn More
Fort Bend County Express
Fort Bend County is pleased to offer the Fort Bend Express commuter services that provide week day service to the Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, and the Galleria. These services consists of rides from Fort Bend County Monday thru Friday from between 4:40 AM to 8:30 AM and returns between 3:15 PM and 6:40 PM at 15 – 25 minute intervals. There is no weekend service currently. Learn More
GreenLink, Route 412
Free and convenient transportation has returned to downtown with Greenlink. Through a partnership between the Downtown District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation, the downtown community can utilize the environmentally friendly buses to get to popular downtown locations quickly. Seven buses operate Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., approximately 7-10 minutes apart. The route spans 2.5-miles with 18 stops and connects major office buildings along Smith and Louisiana streets to METRO transit, the convention corridor, hotels, restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Learn More
Guaranteed Ride Home Programs
Enjoy Peace of Mind…A benefit provide by Houston METRO, and some other transit services in the region, that makes sharing a ride even better is the Emergency Ride/Guaranteed Ride Home program. The free service provides commuters a way home in the event of a midday emergency, up to three times per calendar year. The program is available to all STAR riders and bus patrons without midday service. Bus patrons must register using the form below. Learn More – METRO or Learn More – Fort Bend Express
Harris County Transit
The goal of Harris County Transit Services is to provide residents outside of the Metro service area with transportation alternatives. Through the spirit of cooperation and coordination with other area agencies, Harris County Transit Services promotes efficient and dependable transportation that will offer increased mobility, economic opportunity, minimize traffic congestion and increase air quality through reduced vehicle emissions. Learn More
H-GAC Commute Solutions
Commute Solutions is a partnership of the Houston–Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), the Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Brazos Transit District, Colorado Valley Transit, Fort Bend County Transportation,the Gulf Coast Center-Connect Transit, the City of Galveston’s Island Transit, and the region’s Transportation Management Organizations (TMOs), which include BayTran, Central Houston “Downtown in Motion,” North Houston Association, and TREK. The purpose of Commute Solutions is to provide a “one-stop” alternative transportation resource in the Houston-Galveston area for both commuters and businesses. Members of Commute Solutions provide advice, answers and assistance on commuting options and employee transportation programs. Collectively, we have helped some of the biggest and most prestigious employers in the region get their employees to work. How do we keep the Houston-Galveston region on the move? It’s easy. Just focus on Commute Solutions’ five fundamental transportation strategies:
- Move more people in fewer vehicles
- Use transportation that does not contribute to congestion and pollution
- Reduce the number of people commuting during rush hours
- Reduce the number of single occupant vehicles
- Eliminate the need to commute to work
High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes
METRO operates HOT lanes to give people driving solo in cars the option to pay a small toll to use high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Learn More
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
METRO, or other agencies, operate HOV lanes to give carpools and vanpools the option of using less congested vehicle lanes. Learn More
Managed Lanes (e.g., Katy Managed Lanes)
Combined with the recent freeway expansion, the new Katy Managed Lanes mean more options for everyone. By making underused High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes available to Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) drivers who pay a toll, the new managed lanes could mean a more predictable trip for IH 10 commuters. Learn More
METROBus
METRO has 1,230 buses. With an extensive network of bus routes and convenient Park & Ride facilities helping to ease rush-hour commutes, the METRO Bus System keeps the Houston region moving. METRO is paving the way for a cleaner Houston with 443 transit diesel-hybrid buses in operation. Since 2003, METRO has been actively working to improve the air we breathe with state-of- the-art technology that reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 50 percent and offers substantial savings in fuel. Hybrid technology is METRO’s current choice for vehicles and each year, as part of its fleet replacement plan, METRO purchases 100 buses. Learn More
METROLift
METROLift is a complementary paratransit service offered by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County in accordance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). METROLift provides transportation for persons with disabilities who cannot board, ride or disembark from a regular METRO fixed-route bus, even if that bus is equipped with a wheelchair lift or ramp. METROLift is a curb-to-curb service, with assistance beyond the curb provided when needed, due to disability. Call METROLift customer service at 713-225-0119 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays to obtain eligibility materials or download from their website. Learn More
METRO Park & Ride
METRO has 29 Park & Ride lots with more than 33,000 available parking spaces. Direct nonstop service to Downtown, the Texas Medical Center or other major employment centers in the METRO service area is available from Park & Ride lots. Park & Ride facilities also serve as staging areas for vanpools and carpools. Learn More
METRORail
METRORail is a fast, convenient way to travel to downtown, midtown, the Museum District, Texas Medical Center, Moody Park and up to the Northline Transit Center / HCC . Customers can carry a pet on the bus and the rail as long as it is caged properly. Service animals are allowed to accompany riders with disabilities. Bus and rail riders may bring car seats aboard, but there are no seat belts to strap the car seat to the bus or rail seat. So the caregiver would have to hold the baby or child. Strollers are also allowed. Learn More
METRO STAR Vanpool
Greater Houston’s METRO STAR is a service to help you save money, reduce your stress and relax to and from work. STAR offers hundreds of scheduled routes serving an eight-county area, including Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. STAR riders share the cost of the vehicle, fuel, maintenance routes and any parking and tolls. Individual cost is divided by the number of riders creating a personal “fraction” of the total cost. Because STAR vanpools are driven by one or more of the riders, the costs are often less than other public and private options. STAR vanpools are one of the most efficient uses for public and private funding. This efficiency allows STAR vanpools to form quickly and serve locations that other transit services do not or cannot serve cost effectively. Learn More
Motorist Assistance Program (MAP)
The Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) is here to help stranded motorists get back underway. It is available free of charge on most Houston/Harris County area freeways. MAP is designed to not only help stranded motorists, but also to clear the freeways of minor incidents and stalls. This in turn helps all motorists by keeping them moving and saving them time and fuel. Since 1989, over 600,000 motorists have counted on MAP to get them back on the road. Learn More
NuRide
[NuRide is no longer available in Houston.] Get rewards when you walk, bike, telecommute, carpool, take the train, subway, or bus, or work a compressed week. It’s free and easy to do. Need a carpool or commute buddy? NuRide can help with that too.
The Woodlands Express
The Woodlands Express is a commuter bus service operating from three Park ‘n’ Ride lots in The Woodlands. Each workday, frequent service is provided to and from several stops in Houston’s Central Business District, Greenway Plaza, the Medical Center and the Greenspoint area. Learn More
Trek Houston
TREK is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing mobility in the Greenway Plaza and Uptown/Galleria areas. Our efforts reduce commuting costs, personal stress, traffic, accidents and air pollution. Learn More
