OK, Passadena is NOT in the taxing area.  Who is providing the extra money for the service?

Good for Pasadena... Can we get a 4:30 or 5 am weekday trip downtown on the 102 please?

Mary:

Dominic raises an excellent point -- how is this service funded? There must be some subsidy, since the fares for express service from Pasadena would have to be very high to cover the whole cost.

I am all for expanding express bus service as it will push cars off the road and reduce traffic in the inner-city, which makes life there more livable. However, I am very much against canabilizing funding for already bare-bones local service to give subsidized express bus service to an area that does not itself subsidize Metro.

So where does the funding come from?

Does anyone know the entire route? METRO only has a map of the mall and downtown. I want to know how the bus travels to Monroe P&R from Pasadena.

The service to the area is great ideal but METRO should have used some brain power. There is only a 5 or 6 mile distance from Pasadena Mall to Monroe P&R. And the nearest 40 stop is less then 2 miles away from the Pasadena Mall. It doesn't make sense unless to me why METRO would do this unless I was thinking negatively about Metro's actions.

The main complaint that will come is how early the evening service trips end. METRO should just have adjusted the 40 or added a new limited local route to service this Pasadena Mall area.

There is a HUGE demand for service in the Pasadena area and many of the people already ride the 40 from Allen Genoa & Richey St. They get a ride to the 40 and go downtown.

Im sure they would be happy if the 40 serviced the Mall then make a stop at Monroe P&R so folks going downtown could ride an Express route.

Houston Chronicle reports that Harris County and Pasadena are paying for the service, with the county paying its share with federal transportation money.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6358042.html

Now, could the City of Pasadena enter METRO if the citizens voted to?

This reinforces my call for the state to shut METREAUX down.  Transfer the rubber-tired bus and paratransit operations to the county.  The HCTRA can take over the HOV lanes and park&pillage lots.

Scrap the tram, and give Houstonians our streets back!

Taxpayers would realize the savings, and the bus transit dependent would be subjected to less abuse.

Wikipedia page on Quickline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickline) indicates that 402 will start service June 1, 2009. This update was entered anonymously by someone at a Texas Medical Center computer on April 2 -- last Thursday.

It's not clear whether this guy is in a position to know, as it doesn't indicate where this information came from.

Mary -- can you confirm that June 1 is the plan for the 402?

Everyone else -- will the construction that some suggested was delaying Metro from kicking-off service still be going on in June?

hmmmm...  For the first week, the Park & Ride will offer free service for "early" riders. The 10pm news failed to report that only the first 50 riders each day will be able to ride without charge.

I have called around and canot fin where to load my Q-card that would help to have a place in pasadena I called all the places that metro states and they never herd of a Q-card this is a good thing that as citizen we can go to downtown driving and hassel free thanks

Royko,

     If METRO were to shut down because of you (and probably a bunch of other critics of METRO), how can people get around Houston/Harris County WITHOUT having to use their cars?

Each of the Harris County Commissioners have operated a fleet of buses for years now.  Just turn operations over to Harris County.

Then fire Wilson, lock down the Lee. P. Brown administration building, effectively kicking out the contractors who have been enjoying the "free" office space (I have a recently released list of contractors with security passes which do not need escorting by METREAUX officials while in the building, some of which hang around daily), then scrap the boondoggle tram.

Royko,

     You STILL haven't answered my question.  How can transit dependent riders---like me---get around WITHOUT any form of mass transit AND without having to use their own personal vehicles to get from point A (home) to point B (work) on an anveragr weekday?

Why don't you just tell people to clog up the streets and force folks like TxDOT to build more of what y'all don't want---more highways.

Sorry but METRORail is here to stay so get used to it.

anveragr=>correct spelling is average.

I LOVE mass transit... It should be expanded. I have a few friends like Rokyo who cant understand why I wont drive 1 of my 4 cars. They think im being "cheap" but I have a passion for mass transit.

Now the way METRO is going about it is a bit questionable. I think the rails should be elevated. I would say go underground but its obviously too late in the city's growth to be option.

The current line should have a few stations removed. Or skip them during peak hours... Stops like Bell, McGowen should be discontinued or not serviced during certain times.

Be careful of having any sort of passion for mass transit there C---look at where it got me on here---even though I don't worry about it much anymore.  People think it's weird but meh---their problem.

In regards to the METRORail deal, I'll have to think about having train above ground but underground is an almost certain uh-uh.

I don't think those two stops should be discontinued because there ARE people who get on/off there.  Not as much as you think at other stops like the Downtown Transit Center but people would be up in arms if those stops are passed up during peak times.

I think Bell could be bypassed, or at least mothballed, at the present time.  However, McGowen is a possible stop for the HCC HQ, and walking access to 53/81/82.  

Also, there is a new housing complex being built accross the open field on Travis.  I can see more train boardings there.

Mr. CoLLins,

If the economy continues to decline due to the conversion of our system under the current Congress and Marxist-influenced administration, we likely will all be peddling CHICOM-built bicycles and having to peddle to Castro rallies on Sundays.

Royko,

     Then that mean ALL who use transit anywhere in America will fall under---whatever this is you're saying, correct?  Just checking because let's not narrow the field to just worrying about folks around here, mind you.

All,

   I STILL don't think any stops along the current METRORail line should be bypassed because you never know who can be wanting to board and/or who may want to get off there.

Mr. CoLLins may be correct.  There could be an unlikely instance when Mr. Wilson, or some other highly-compensated METREAUX employee, possibly with a generous car allowance, might be standing on such a platform so as to ride the Glorious Utopian tram back to the Lee. P. Brown administration building.

We wouldn't want to strand them, now would we?

No offense Royko but I was actually talking about the average Joe Schmoe----not anybody from METRO.