About METRO

Vision

Through collaborative relations and innovative approaches, METRO will be an industry leader in delivering timely and efficient service that is transformative by providing multi-modal interactions for communities to connect to everyday work and life opportunities.

Mission

METRO’s mission is to provide safe, clean, reliable and friendly public transportation services to our region.

Customer Services

Customer Care Center (CCC) - Customer Care representatives provide METRO service information. Bilingual CCC personnel are available to provide information in many languages. Call 713-635-4000

Lost & Found - METRO will hold items for 30 days. Personal items are then donated to charity if usable, or destroyed. We can track your lost items easier if you record the route name/number, approximate time and bus/train I.D. number.

Current Projects

METRO is excited about bringing enhanced transit services to your neighborhood. We have several initiatives focused on providing great transit infrastructure for our customers. Here you will learn more about projects in active construction. You can see METRO’s progress and find out when you can start enjoying more quick, convenient and easy services.

History & Future

The Texas State Legislature authorized the creation of local transit authorities in 1973. In 1978, Houston-area voters created METRO and approved a one-cent sales tax to support its operations. METRO opened for business in January 1979. The Authority has transformed a broken bus fleet into a regional multimodal transportation system.

History of METRO Video

METRO serves these cities:

• Bellaire
• Bunker Hill Village
• El Lago
• Hedwig Village
• Hilshire Village
• Houston
• Humble
• Hunters Creek
• Katy
• Missouri City
• Piney Point
• Southside Place
• Spring Valley
• Taylor Lake Village
• West University Place

Major portions of unincorporated Harris County are also included.

Member Government Agencies

METRO Board of Directors

Our board has nine members. Five are nominated by the Mayor of Houston and confirmed by Houston City Council. Two are appointed by the mayors of METRO's 14 other member cities. Two are appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court.

(C) Appointed by the City of Houston Mayor, Confirmed by Houston City Council
(H) Appointed by Harris County Commissioners Court
(M) Appointed by the mayors of the 14 multi-cities in METRO's service area

Carrin F. Patman,
Chair (C)

Jim Robinson,
CFE, First Vice-Chair (H)

Cindy Siegel,
Second Vice-Chair (M)

Troi Taylor,
Secretary (C)

Don Elder Jr. (M)

Lex Frieden (C)

Lisa Gonzales Castañeda,
P.E., (H)

Sanjay Ramabhadran (Ram),
P.E., (C)

Christof Spieler (C)

Monthly Board Meetings

Monthly Board Meetings are typically held at 10 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Lee P. Brown METRO Administration Building, 1900 Main St., 2nd Floor.

METRO Services

Bus

METRO has 1,236 active buses. METRO is currently purchasing compressed natural gas (CNG) and clean diesel buses.

METRORail

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

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.

HOV/HOT Lanes (Express Lanes)

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.

Park & Rides

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

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 713-739-3795.

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.

Learn More About METRO

• METRO Board of Directors
• Executive Leadership Team
• METRO Police
• 2003 Referendum (PDF)

METRO's Headquarters

Lee P. Brown METRO Administration Building
Address: 1900 Main St., Houston, Texas 77002
View METRO's Headquarters in Google Maps.

METRO has about 3,707 employees.

Operations & Support Facilities

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.