Trip Added to 217 Cypress

Mary Sit — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:55:00 GMT

Good news for commuters from Cypress: We are adding a trip to help ease the jam-packed buses in the morning.

Starting Monday, March 15, we are adding a 6:52 inbound trip.

We are also adjusting trip times.

Click here to see the new trip and adjusted times.

Service on Route 217 Cypress started on Jan. 22, 2007 - and we had more riders on the first day out than any other opening day for Park & Ride service - 478 boardings.

Less than a month after opening, we added another morning bus trip.

"We've increased that service by 50 percent in three years," said Jim Archer, manager of ridership analysis/service evaluation. "That's phenomenal, but it's indicative that ridership has grown."

Last month, we recorded a average daily boardings of 1,064. The added 6:52 inbound trip will bring the total number of trips to 33 peak direction trips.

So starting next Monday, hopefully, all of you will be able to find a comfortable seat on your ride to and from downtown.

Houston Police Department on March 3.

HPD Officer Stephen Hendrie - the plainclothes cop who had tried to stop the suspects - sustained serious physical injuries to his eye, nose and teeth. Later, the officer told Reyna he was grateful Reyna got involved and helped fend off and subdue the suspect.

Reyna's award recognizes him for "extraordinary commitment and unselfish service rendered to the Houston Police Department and the citizens of Houston, Texas."

Reyna shrugs off what he did as the natural course of action.

"It was worth it. I wouldn't think twice if it happened again. It didn't scare me," said Reyna.

A METRO bus driver for only six months, Reyna says he loves his job. "I like dealing with the public. All you have to do is say, ‘How are you' or ‘How was your day?' and they open up and tell you their whole life story."

His supervisor, Rudolph Becerra at the West Bus Operating Facility, calls his new employee's act heroic.

"He put his life in danger to help somebody who was in danger. Most people probably wouldn't have done it," said Becerra. "He always has a positive attitude. He's always upbeat and gets along with his passengers. He's always willing to help his coworkers."

274 Westchase/Gessner.

That's logging a lot of miles - enough for the environmental engineer at El Paso Energy Services to become part of a bus community.

In fact, Yanagisawa loves riding the bus so much, the poet and aspiring composer has written lyrics about his experience.

"There are always people I'm looking for on the bus - my bus buds," said Yanagisawa. "We do our bit to catch up - from weddings to stock tips...to where a good restaurant is they just found. We've gotten to be friends outside of just sitting on the bus."

Yanagisawa says there's another benefit, too, in leaving the driving to someone else.

"Less hassles on the way, you don't have to worry about parking. I can kick back and work on songs, or read a book. I appreciate that time not having the stress of driving through traffic," said Yanagisawa, who's teaching himself to play guitar.

Yanagisawa captured his bus-riding experience in a song - penned on a 5 x 7 notepad while riding METRO:

I'm a suburban warrior

I spend my days downtown

Two hours on that bus each day

Can really wear you down.

It has its compensations though

That makes it all worthwhile

You may be saving money

But the people cause the smiles.

I see them in the morning

I see ‘em going back

My bus buds know just when to talk

And when to cut some slack

My company pays my bus fare

"You'll be greener," so they say

You'll save on gas and parking

With less hassle on the way

All that's true I guess

But when the day is done

I wouldn't ride this bus so much

If the people weren't fun.

Forty feet long

And eight feet wide

The doors hiss open

And I climb inside

The driver smiles and says hello

The seats fill up

And we're good to go.

Margaret has saved a spot

And talks about her kids

Lisa tells me of her dogs

And the silly things they did

Jim worries about the test he took

Wondering if he'll pass

Me? I'm working on a brand new song

While sitting on my....

Everything gets talked about

When you're riding on the bus

You may not agree on them

But no one makes a fuss

Politics to movies

Projects or a trip

Weddings or a restaurant

We pass each other tips.

If I won the lottery

And didn't need to ride

I'd miss those conversations

I'd feel emptier inside

So I'd buy a bus and be the driver

My friends would ride for free

We'd solve the problems of the world

And have you home by three.

- Ian Yanagisawa

American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The high unemployment rate, coupled with lower gas prices, did tamp down ridership a bit - but public transit remains strong.

Last year, 10.2 billion trips were taken on public transit, a 3.8 percent decrease from the 52-year record set in 2008. Cutbacks from state and local funding also fueled lower ridership.

"Given last year's economic hardship, this small decrease in ridership from a record number of ridership trips in 2008, indicates that support for public transit remains strong," said William Millar, APTA president.

Since 1995, public transit has increased 31 percent, a figure that is more than double the growth rate of the population (15 percent) and exceeds the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled on our highways (21 percent) for that same period.

And if you are one of those commuters, you can pat yourself on the back for going green. Public transit in the U.S. saves 4.2 billion gallons of gas every year and decreases our carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons every year, says APTA.

Read the full APTA ridership report here.

METRO Q® Fare Card every day know the convenience of tapping to board the bus or train. No more digging for change, or searching for bent paper tickets.

Now, there's another fringe benefit of having a Q.

Dine at Julia's Bistro on Main Street, right on the Red Line and show your Q - you'll get a complimentary dessert. The restaurant features organic and locally-grown foods, along with an award-winning wine list.

The menu changes seasonally, but here are some recent offerings: pollo poblano - flattened chicken *** stuffed with portabella mushrooms and panela cheese wrapped in bacon, served with poblano pepper sauce. Or plaintain crusted snapper - a fresh snapper filet encrusted with plantain chips, topped with a ginger mango butter sauce, served with roasted maduros and green beans.

The midtown bistro was named after the grandmother of owner Carmen Vasquez, with whom Vasquez learned about rustic cuisine in a small kitchen in Mexico.

Ric Ancira, general manager at Julia's, said the rail line was definitely a factor in deciding where to locate the restaurant at 3722 Main St.

"This is a prime location. Fortunately, we're between downtown and the Texas Medical Center, and people like to ride the rail to lunch. We wanted to encourage people to get out, and at the same time, reduce the carbon footprint," Ancira said. "So I thought - well, show us a rail pass, and our part will be to treat you to dessert."

Read real reviews from real people on yelp.com. One diner said Julia's Bistro offered the best cappuccino he's tasted.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, we will have an anti-terrorist force out on the platform, looking for any suspicious activity.

A joint operation with a federal Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) team, METRO's anti-terrorist officers and Special Operations Response Team (SORT) officers will be working with federal air marshals and police dogs trained to detect bombs.

VIPR is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration and enhances local transit agencies' resources when conducting a highly visible surge during special events. More than 50 mass transit deployments have occurred since the program started in December 2005, according to TSA's Web site.

Look for our own award-wining K-9 officer Shadow and his handler Officer Chris Oberland.

"This is an opportunity for us to show a presence where there is a high volume of people," said Lt. Vera Bumpers, who leads MPD's Homeland Security division. "What we're doing is making sure we stay diligent in protecting our patrons and employees along the rail line."

The team will be looking for any suspicious criminal activity, suspicious people or suspicious packages, said Bumpers, adding that METRO has not received any credible threats.

The anti-terrorist officers have received behavior recognition training that allows them to better detect not only activity associated with international terrorism but domestic criminal activity that could have terrorist overtones.

the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

That figure is based on the March 3 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. The average cost per gallon of gas on March 3 was $2.703 - 77 cents more than than the price per gallon a year ago same time.

That means you can save $715 more this year than last year if your ride public transportation.

On average, transit riders can save $768 every month. Imagine what you could do with that extra money. Plus, there are other benefits to riding the bus: You can sleep, text without distraction, read a book.

"Taking public transportation provides a safe and affordable way or individuals and families to cut costs," said APTA in a statement. "In addition, taking local public transit offers a travel option that has an immediate positive impact in reducing an individual's overall carbon footprint while helping reduce America's dependence on foreign oil."

Here's how the top 10 cities with the highest transit ridership rank in order of their annual transit savings:

1. New York $13,740

2. Boston $12,333

3. San Francisco $12,134

4. Chicago $11,298

5. Seattle $11,197

6. Philadelphia $11,095

7. Honolulu $10,689

8. Los Angeles $10,023

9. San Diego $ 9,859

10. Mineapolis $ 9,856

Obama administration earmarking $8 billion in stimulus funds toward high-speed rail in California, Florida and Illinois.

In fact, nine out of 10 Americans say high-speed rail would be a long-distance option, according to a survey by HTNB Corp., an engineering and architectural firm.

But if any transit agency wants to buy passenger rail cars, it would have to look overseas. Most passenger rail equipment is manufactured overseas.

Here at METRO, we are buying new trains from CAF in Spain because there is no American manufacturer of light-rail trains.

Now two American companies are forming a joint venture to build rail cars in the United States. US Railcar LLC of Ohio and American Railcar Industries Inc. of Missouri said they will build and sell "self-propelled and unpowered passenger rail cars in both single and bi-level configurations," according to the US Railcar's press release.

Both companies had built freight rail exclusively. The new venture will be called US Railcar Co.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, you can avoid traffic jams by riding METRO.

Drive to the West Loop Park & Ride located at 4675 S. Braeswood (at South Loop). Parking is free. Then hop on METRO bus 261 Extended West Loop Park & Ride, which will take you directly to the rodeo at Reliant Park.

Tickets are $4 roundtrip. Children ages 2 and under ride free.

Extended service hours are:

Monday to Friday: 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Saturday & Sunday: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

This extended service will run through Sunday, March 21.

You can also ride the Red Line on Main Street. Although tickets will be for sale on the platform at Fannin South Station, you can avoid the crowds by pre-buying your train tickets to the rodeo at our RideStore at 1900 Main.

We're pre-selling tickets until this Friday. A window dedicated exclusively to selling rail rodeo tickets will keep you from a long wait.

The RideStore is open Monday to Friday, 8 to 5 p.m.

Belgian Malinois, focused on her job and placed second in the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association's fifth annual competition recently.

Roxy and DeMartin are part of the MPD Canine Program. The eight dogs and their handlers help with narcotics and bomb detection, as well as criminal apprehension.

In the competition, Roxy found two explosive devices. The dog that finds the most items without a false find wins. She was among 10 explosives dogs and 16 patrol dog teams competing from Texas and Louisiana.

Roxy and DeMartin also captured Third Place award for the Patrol Dog Competition in which teams are tested for obedience and for apprehending suspects in real-life - and often complex - scenarios.

In the obedience section of the competition, Roxy had to sit motionless while DeMartin walked ahead for a minute. Then the dog had to run with the officer and then slow to a leisurely walk. Finally, Roxy had to lie down and stay until called.

"It's done in a big arena used for horses," said DeMartin of the competition held on the Brazoria County Fair grounds. "There's lots of noise, people in the stands, cats out there, other officers, families. Lots of dogs want to sniff."

The second half of the Patrol Dog Competition was a staged armed robbery, involving three suspects and four vehicles.

"Her only mistake was she grabbed the first guy. She wasn't supposed to do that because he had given up. She was already down there, but the minute I told her to come back, she released the person and came back," recalled DeMartin.

DeMartin said the competition tests an officer's control over her dog, tactical skills and ability to move with the dog. A team for a little more than two years, DeMartin calls her canine partner "easy-going."

"We're a pretty good team, pretty quick. Roxy is extremely laid-back," said DeMartin. "She is very methodical. She's not real high energy. She can be - she gets the job done."

The key to developing a winning formula with her furry friend?

"It takes hundreds of training hours," said DeMartin. "Just building a rapport with the dog - that could take a couple of years to be a good, solid canine team.

"You have to have that balance - discipline and you got to spend time. You have to be affectionate, play with them. The dogs need to have their mind exercised as well as taking walks. Tricks engage them and stimulate their mind."

Write On METRO

Trip Added to 217 Cypress