NCAA Final Four

You can obtain a METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO Day Pass or METRO Money Card at any of the following:

• METRO RideStore locations
• METRO Online RideStore
• Participating retail locations
• Select vending machines

You have the option of loading money on your card when you first obtain it. Reload options vary by fare card and location.

Additional payment options to ride METRO can be obtained through other sources.

More details can be found on the All About Fares page.

First, you’ll need an internet connection.

Download the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing App and set up an account. Then, mobile tickets may be purchased in one of two ways:

• In the app, tap Store along the bottom menu to get started
• Log in to your account on the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing Store

If you’ve purchased one or more mobile tickets that you haven’t used, they’ll be listed under Available in the Use section of the app. From there, you can activate a ticket.

Once activated, your ticket is valid for up to three hours.

If you pay your fare using a METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO Q Mobile Ticket, METRO Day Pass or METRO Money card, you’re entitled to free transfers between any of these METRO services for up to three hours in any direction:

• Local bus
• METRORail
• METRORapid
• METRO curb2curb

Only regular fare mobile tickets are available for purchase.

Local bus and METRO curb2curb:

A route selector is accessible directly on the website home page, linking you directly to a page for the route of your choice.

At the top of each individual route page, you’ll find:

• Frequency of service on weekdays and weekends
• Stop-by-stop schedule
• Link to view PDF schedule which you can then download and/or print

METRORail:

Frequency of service, a stop-by-stop schedule, a PDF schedule and a linear route map for each METRORail line are found on the METRORail page.

METRORapid:

Frequency of service, a stop-by-stop schedule, a PDF schedule and a linear route map for the METRORapid Silver line is found on the METRORapid page.

On the METRO website, there’s a route map on:

• Each individual bus route page
• METRORail page
• METRORapid page
• Each individual METRO curb2curb route page

You can also use the website's Interactive System Map (best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer). In the map, you can check a box next to any METRO bus route or rail line and the map will draw a line showing where it runs.

If you’d prefer a physical map, we include a map image in the printed brochure for each individual bus route or rail line. Brochures are available for free at all METRO RideStore locations:

• Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
• Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort St.
• Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
• Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road
  

Trip planning tools are available on:

• Various pages of the website, including in the Rider Tools section below
• RideMETRO app for your smartphone (“Plan Your Trip” section)
• METRO TRIP app for your smartphone
• Google or Apple maps

METRO local buses make stops at the following locations

• Along city streets, at intersections where you see a METRO bus stop sign and/or bus shelter
• At select Park & Ride lots around the region
• At more than 20 transit centers around the region

All METRO buses have large, bright destination signs on the front of the bus above the windshield and along the passenger’s side, near the front door. These digital displays include the route number and destination.

We encourage you to do your part to keep yourself and those around you safe throughout your entire trip on a METRO bus. Learn more about rider safety.

METRORail trains make stops at rail station platforms along city streets in and around downtown Houston. You can also board a METRORail train at the following transit centers:

• Burnett (Red Line)
• Downtown (Red Line)
• Fannin South (Red Line)
• Magnolia Park (Green Line)
• Northline (Red Line)
• Palm Center (Purple Line)
• Texas Medical Center (Red Line)

All METRORail trains have large, bright destination signs on the front of the train above the windshield and along the side of the train as it pulls into the station.

Red Line trains would say one of the following:

• Northline TC
  
• Fannin South

Green Line trains would say one of the following:

• Magnolia Park
• Theater District

Purple Line trains would say one of the following:

• Palm Center TC
• Theater District

We encourage you to be safe, be seen around trains and stay alert throughout your entire trip on METRORail. Learn more about rider safety.

Estimated arrival times can be found on:

• METRO website home page (“Track Bus or Train” tab)
• RideMETRO app for your smartphone (“Track Your Bus” section)
• METRO TRIP app for your smartphone
• Google or Apple maps
  

If you know your stop number (it's posted on the bus stop sign at every bus stop location), you can text that stop number to 697433. We'll text you back the estimated arrival time of the next bus for all routes that stop at your location.

The two fixed-route services that stop closest to the venue are Local Bus and METRORail. All METRO-owned transit vehicles and all METRORail platforms are accessible under the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

METRO also operates a paratransit service (METROLift). If you meet the eligibility requirements and have already been approved as a METROLift customer, you can book a ride to and from the event just as you would book any other trip on the service.

Local bus routes that stop at or near NRG Stadium:

• 14 Hiram Clarke
• 60 Cambridge
• 84 Buffalo Speedway

METRORail:

METRO operates three light rail lines in and around downtown Houston.

The Red Line travels along Main Street through downtown Houston, providing access to NRG Stadium at the Stadium Park / Astrodome station along the southern end of the line. It operates every 6 minutes on weekdays and every 12 minutes on weekends.

The Green Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District, EaDo (East Downtown) and the Second Ward, providing access to the George R. Brown Convention Center and Discovery Green. It operates every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 18 minutes on weekends.

The Purple Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District and the Third Ward (southeast of downtown), providing access to the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green, Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. It operates every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 18 minutes on weekends.

NRG Stadium is accessed from the Stadium Park / Astrodome station along the METRORail Red Line.

So if you’re coming from EaDo or the Third Ward area, you’ll need to transfer to and from the Red Line as follows:

Going to NRG Stadium:

Green and Purple Line riders exit Central Station Rusk and transfer to the Red Line at Central Station Main (on Main Street between Capitol and Rusk).

Coming home from NRG Stadium on the Red Line:

Red Line riders exit Central Station Main and transfer to the Green or Purple Line at Central Station Rusk (on Rusk Street between Fannin and San Jacinto).

If you're commuting from areas in and around downtown Houston, you can access all downtown events using METRORail. Otherwise, you may need to ride a local bus route. You can find more information about which bus routes and light rail lines stop near each event by scrolling up to the Ride METRO section on this page.

If you plan to drive for at least a portion of your trip to the Final Four games, but would rather not park in one of the public lots at NRG Stadium, you can park at Fannin South Transit Center (1604 West Bellfort Ave.).

On April 1 and April 3, park and pay $15 per vehicle (cash only) at Fannin South Transit Center and ride round-trip on the METRORail Red Line. From Fannin South, it's a three minute ride (one stop) to the Stadium Park / Astrodome station.

The $15 parking rate applies to all vehicles that park at Fannin South Transit Center during those dates, even if you’re not attending the event.