METRO Services
METRO has 1,236 active buses. METRO is currently purchasing compressed natural gas (CNG) and clean diesel buses.
METRORail consists of three light-rail lines: the Red Line (North), Green Line (East End) and the Purple Line (Southeast), totaling 22 miles of rail. Our fleet consists of 76 light-rail vehicles. The Red Line opened in 2004 as the Main Street Line and today is 12.6 miles long. It carries 55,000 passengers daily, making it one of the nation’s most traveled lines, based on boardings per track mile. The Purple Line (6.7 miles) and the Green Line (3.2 miles) opened in May 2015.
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.
METRO operates a system of High Occupancy Vehicle/High Occupancy Toll (HOV/HOT) Lanes, referred to as Express Lanes, on the Southwest, Gulf, North, Eastex and Northwest freeways. These lanes are open free to buses, vanpools, carpools and motorcycles and single-occupant vehicles during some hours if they pay a toll.
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.
Transit Centers are sheltered waiting areas located where several bus routes and/or METRORail converge. METRO's Transit Centers serve as efficient "hubs" to allow bus and/or METRORail riders from various locations to assemble at a central point to take advantage of express trips or other route-to-route transfers. Limited parking is available at select transit centers.
Employer and Commuter Services
METRO provides many services to employers and employees, such as commuter tax benefit information, organizing vanpools/carpools, computerized ride matching, origin/destination mapping and on-site events.
RideSponsor: This program encourages employees and members to ride METRO as a way to relieve demand for parking and improve air quality. Interested? Call 713-739-4015.
RideShare: This free program matches commuters to vanpools and carpools in eight counties. METRO's network of HOV lanes bypasses congestion and allows commuters to get to work or home faster. For more information, call 713-224-RIDE, or toll-free, 1-888-606-RIDE.
METRO STAR Vanpool: If a group has at least five people willing to ride together, the group is eligible for STAR service and incentives to help underwrite the cost of the vanpool. STAR is ideal for those who live or work where METRO bus service is not available. For more information, call 713-224-RIDE, or toll-free, 1-888-606-RIDE.
Emergency Ride / Guaranteed Ride Home: Qualified METRO commuters can get home in the middle of a workday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, if there’s an emergency and there’s no midday bus service. METRO will arrange free, immediate transportation, usually a taxi ride.
Regional Mobility Improvements
Motorist Assistance Program (M.A.P.): METRO, the Harris County Sheriff's Department, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, and Verizon Wireless sponsor the M.A.P. with trucks and vans, staffed by Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies. The M.A.P. vehicles patrol about 150 miles of freeway. The M.A.P. service from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays.
METRO allocates approximately $3 million annually to M.A.P. through its General Mobility Program.
Useful Numbers
List of office and department phone numbers
Office/Departments |
Phone Number |
Board Members |
713-739-4834 |
Executive Office |
713-739-4832 |
Community Outreach |
713-739-4018 |
Hearing and Speech Impaired |
713-635-6993 |
Customer Comments |
713-658-0180 |
METROLift Information |
713-225-0119 |
Customer Service |
713-635-4000 |
RideShare |
713-224-RIDE or 1-888-606-RIDE (7433) |
Lost & Found |
713-658-0854 |
METRO Police |
713-224-COPS (2677) |
Media Information |
713-739-4040 |
Operations & Support Facilities
Locations
Facilities |
Address |
Buffalo Bayou |
810 N. San Jacinto St., Houston, TX 77002 |
Central Stores |
1220 McCarty St., Houston, TX 77029 |
Fallbrook |
111 Fallbrook Dr., Houston, TX 77038 |
Field Service Center |
1215 Labco, Houston, TX 77029 |
Hiram Clarke |
4175 Uptown Dr., Houston, TX 77023 |
Kashmere |
5700 Eastex Fwy., Houston, TX 77026 |
METROLift Contract Facility |
1215 Labco, Houston, TX 77029 |
First Transit (METROLift) |
3250 Telephone Road |
Yellow Cab (METROLift) |
1406 Hays Street |
Northwest |
5555 Deauville Plaza Dr., Houston, TX 77092 |
Polk Street |
5700 Polk St., Houston, TX 77023 |
Rail Operations Center (ROC) |
1601 W. Bellfort, Houston, TX 77054 |
Service and Inspection Facility |
5880 Texas Street, Houston, TX 77011 |
West |
11555 Westpark Dr., Houston, TX 77082 |
Houston TranStar - 6922 Old Katy Road
Houston TranStar is the regional transportation and emergency management center for the greater Houston area. TranStar is home to METRO Police Communications, which include the camera surveillance of Park & Ride lots, police dispatch, and coordination with the city of Houston's SafeClear towing program.