Global warming is not just trendy cocktail conversation. It's an issue that will affect how transit agencies design, construct and operate transportation systems. That's according to two recent reports from the U.S. Department of Transportation... Read More...

Next Tuesday, East End bus riders will be surrounded by art - art that was conceived and created by a team of professional artists and neighborhood students. The idea began back in early 2006 when Mary Margaret Hansen, former president of the Greater... Read More...

Several of you have written in on the blog, asking how the garage at Cypress Park & Ride works. Drivers must tap their Q Card to raise the gate and enter the garage. At that time, $1.50 is deducted from your full-fare Q Card to pay for parking. When... Read More...

Forbes.com recently ranked the 10 best cities for commuters and the 10 worst cities for commuters. Houston's was the eighth worst city for commuters. The magazine examined 75 of the biggest metropolitan areas in the nation and analyzed traffic patterns,... Read More...

By now, some of you may have noticed that our bus shelters are going through a makeover. At the beginning of our fiscal year - October 2007 - we compiled a list of 100 used shelters at the Field Services Center with the goal of cleaning and fixing them... Read More...

How many times have you waited at your bus stop – andwondered when the bus was going to arrive? Or maybe you were running late,arrived at your stop a minute later than you normally do – and didn’t know ifyou had just missed your bus... Read More...

The nation's top leader at the Federal Transit Administration mentioned Houston recently as a model that could offer a 21 st -century solution to a transportation infrastructure that has hit a tipping point. Jim Simpson , administrator at the FTA,... Read More...

Starting today, as you flip TV channels, you may see heavyweight, world-boxing champion George Foreman urging you to Ride METRO. It's the start of METRO's I Ride campaign, a series of four commercials featuring local celebrities who encourage... Read More...

Today at noon, about 44 of you joined our Web chat, Transit Talk , to ask questions of Frank J. Wilson, president and CEO of METRO. We received questions submitted in advance on this blog, plus questions live during the chat - far more than Wilson could... Read More...

Washington, D.C. residents will soon have a chance to rent a bicycle day or night for an annual $40 fee. The New York Times reported on Sunday that this first-of-its-kind program in the United States is a new public-private venture. SmartBike DC will... Read More...

Our second episode of METRO Matters , our mini-TV talk show that launched last month, begins its 30-day airing this Saturday at 6:35 p.m. The show features Erik Oistad, chief information officer and vice president at METRO, who tells us how METRO accomplished... Read More...

Calling it a planned detour on an off-ramp, METRO released Washington Group International (WGI) as its lead facility provider and today named Parsons Transportation Group as its new lead contractor, tasked to do $12 million of work on three light-rail... Read More...

Come join us for our fourth Web chat, Transit Talk, once again hosted by our President and CEO, Frank J. Wilson. It will be this Friday, May 2, from noon to 1 p.m. Ask anything you’re curious about – as long as it’s METRO-related. Are... Read More...

From Q Card usage to wait times for customer service, METRO reported numbers that met or exceeded goals at yesterday’s monthly board meeting. Here’s a summary of what Frank J. Wilson, president and CEO, reported to the Board of Directors:... Read More...

What is the biggest problem facing the Houston area today: traffic, the economy or crime? Traffic congestion was the top concern, according to the 2008 Houston Area Survey, an annual survey conducted since 1982 and produced by Stephen L. Klineberg of... Read More...

Recently, New York legislators voted down a congestion pricing plan that would have charged motorists $8 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street on weekdays. That was short-sighted and disappointing, said James S. Simpson, administrator at the Federal... Read More...

Today is Earth Day, a day celebrated by almost 1 billion people around the world with concerts, rallies and neighborhood clean-up events, according to Earth Day Network , an organization which started the first Earth Day in 1970. Even cartoonists are... Read More...

The past few weekends have been some of Houston's best: sunny, blue skies, low humidity. It has been perfect zoo weather for families with children. And that means parking congestion. This past weekend, more than 26,000 people visited the zoo. In... Read More...

Houses that are close to public transit or close to work are maintaining their value or increasing in value, compared to neighborhoods that require a long commute. That's what a report today on National Public Radio indicates. In the suburbs surrounding... Read More...

Now that we've completed the switch from the myriad ways to pay for a bus or train trip to Q Card or cash, we are gradually closing the Q Card sales booth at our transit centers which were set up specifically to dispense Q Cards and load balances.... Read More...

Herbal tea giveaways are just one way METRO plans to celebrate Earth Day at the Houston Zoo and the Houston Arboretum this weekend. Next Tuesday is Earth Day, but starting this weekend, you'll find METRO tables full of brochures and freebies that... Read More...

Bus aficionados may have noticed our new MCI commuter hybrid bus driving around town. It’s the first of 52 hybrid-electric suburban commuter coaches we’ll be adding to our fleet by summer’s end. These 45-foot hybrid coaches look just... Read More...

By now, most motorists know that at many of Houston's intersections, Big Brother is watching you - at least electronically. The city's red-light cameras have helped officials catch 230,000 vehicles since the cameras went online in September 2006.... Read More...

One of our frequent blog readers wrote a piece for the Houston Chronicle yesterday, urging Houstonians to carpool and fight the enemy: single-occupancy vehicles. Peter Wang, a geophysicist in the oilfield services and a board member of the Citizens'... Read More...

How many times have we sat stuck in traffic and wished we had known that a car had just broken down, blocking one of two lanes of traffic? Well, now Microsoft has invented a Web-based service that uses complicated software models to help drivers bypass... Read More...