Ride METRO to George R. Brown Convention Center | GRB

South Pole Villages

From the Holiday Express METRORail Convention District station, you’re just a short walk or Community Connector ride away from the City Lights Holiday Villages.

Transit Services

If you're commuting from areas in and around downtown Houston, you can access George R. Brown Convention Center using METRORail. Otherwise, you may need to use one or more of the other services listed below. Select any of the tabs for a brief overview of the service and how it can get you to the events.

a METRORail vehicle traveling in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The Green Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District, EaDo (East Downtown) and the Second Ward, providing easy access to the George R. Brown Convention Center at the Convention District Station along the western end of the line.

The Purple Line travels through downtown Houston, the Theater District and the Third Ward (southeast of downtown), providing easy access to the George R. Brown Convention Center at the Convention District Station along the western end of the line.

The Red Line travels along Main Street, connecting downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center. The George R. Brown Convention Center is about half a mile walk from the Main Street Square Station if you choose to walk from there.

If you prefer a shorter walk, transfer from the Red Line at Central Station Main to the Green Line or Purple Line. You'll ride eastbound to the Convention District Station. You'll be on the train for just one stop after your transfer from the Red Line.

All METRORail vehicles are ADA accessible and come equipped with video surveillance security cameras.

Learn More

Local bus on the 500 IAH Downtown Direct bus route arriving at George R. Brown Convention Center.

Two METRO bus routes stop within walking distance of the George R. Brown Convention Center:

40 Telephone / Heights
41 Kirby / Polk

A detailed listing of these routes and maps of where they stop is shown in the Ride METRO section below. Transfers to the routes shown are available at many city street intersections. Transfers are also available at select METRO transit centers which are sheltered waiting areas typically found at the beginning and/or end of a bus route.

All METRO buses are ADA accessible, offer free Wi-Fi and come equipped with video surveillance security cameras.

A Community Connector shuttle traveling near the Downtown Transit Center in downtown Houston.

Microtransit is a free, on-demand, rideshare service that bridges the gap between the "first and last mile" of your journey. Microtransit vehicles operate in a defined zone within downtown Houston. The downtown Community Connector service operates Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Download the Ride Circuit app to book a ride to George R. Brown Convention Center.

Ride Circuit App

METRO paratransit representative assisting customer using METROLift vehicle's electric lift.

METROLift provides curb-to-curb transportation for people with disabilities who meet certain eligibility requirements. Service is provided with ADA-accessible vans and minivans that accommodate persons using wheelchairs, scooters and walkers. Boarding chairs are available to assist any patron unable to access the van using the stairs. All vehicles offer free Wi-Fi.

If you're a current METROLift customer, you can schedule, verify and pay for your trip to the George R. Brown Convention Center the same way you would for other trips.

Ride METRO

You'll find METRORail lines and bus routes to the George R. Brown Convention Center in the tabs below. Select a route to see a map of stops and transfer options.

Rail Line	Service	Frequency*	Station
Green Line	METRORail	Every 12-18 min.	Convention District Station
Purple Line	METRORail	Every 12-18 min.	Convention District Station
Red Line	METRORail	Every 6-12 min.	Main Street Square Station

*All frequencies listed are approximate and may vary.

Route Name	Service	Frequency*	Nearest Stop
40 Telephone / Heights	Local Bus	Every 30 min.	Lamar Street @ Austin Street (northbound) McKinney Street @ Austin Street (southbound)
41 Kirby / Polk	Local Bus	Every 30 min.	McKinney Street @ Austin Street (eastbound) Lamar Street @ Austin Street (westbound)
500 IAH Downtown Direct	Park & Ride Bus	Every 30 min.	George R. Brown North Transit Center Garage

*All frequencies listed are approximate and may vary.

Fares

Below are fares to ride.

Service	Regular Fare	Discounted Fare*
METRORail	$1.25 to board	60 cents to board
Local Bus	$1.25 to board	60 cents to board
IAH Airport Direct	$4.50 to board	$2.25 to board
METRO curb2curb	$1.25 to board	60 cents to board

*Discounted fares apply to students, seniors 65-69, or people with disabilities who aren't METROLift customers that already have a pre-approved discounted fare card.

The following individuals ride free on all services:

Children five years or younger ride free when accompanied by an adult
Seniors 70 years or older who have a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card
Qualified veterans who have a METRO Veterans Pass
METROLift customers (with up to one assistant)

Ways to Pay

You can pay your fare using a variety of methods shown below, and some of them include free transfers. Select each of the options below to learn more.

METRO Fare Cards

Serving as contactless fare payment options – these forms of payment are used by most METRO riders. They function as debit cards for riding METRO. You can continually load and store money on them – and then money will be deducted each time you pay your fare with a METRO Q® Fare Card or daily upon use with a METRO Day Pass.

How To Pay

Tap your regular or discounted METRO Q® Fare Card or Day Pass on the validator that can be found:

inside the local bus when you board
on all METRORail platforms (some fare validators are attached to ticket vending machines, others are freestanding or attached to platform railing)
inside the curb2curb vehicle when you board

If you prefer to go contactless, you can wave your card close to the validator as well.

Make sure the light registers green in the upper right when you tap or wave.

Transfers

After the fare amount is deducted from your METRO Q® Fare Card, you’ll receive free transfers between any of these METRO services for up to three hours in any direction:

Local bus
METRORail
METRO curb2curb

For transfers to Park & Ride bus service using a METRO Q® Fare Card, you'll only pay the fare difference for up to three hours in any direction.

A METRO Day Pass allows you to ride local service as often as you like during the day for a maximum of $3 (regular fare) or $1.50 (discounted fare).

NOTE: If you use a METRO Day Pass on Park & Ride service, the cost to ride doesn't get applied to the maximum daily card deduction. Because of that, we don’t recommend using a METRO Day Pass on Park & Ride service.

METRO Q Mobile Ticket

This is a contactless fare payment option. Download the METRO Q Ticketing app to your smartphone and sign up for an account on the app. That will allow you to purchase regular fare mobile tickets to board METRO transit services. Discounted fare mobile tickets aren’t available for purchase.

How To Pay

Once you purchase and activate a mobile ticket, it will display animated colors and motion on your phone. If you're boarding a bus or curb2curb shuttle, show it to the operator. If you're boarding METRORail, show it to the METRO Fare Inspector or METRO Police Officer upon request – either on the platform prior to boarding or on the vehicle during your ride.

After you activate your mobile ticket, it's valid for three hours.

Transfers

After you activate a Local Single Ride or Local Day Pass mobile ticket, you’ll receive free transfers between any of these METRO services in any direction:

Local bus
METRORail
METRO curb2curb

METRORail Ticket

You’re welcome to pay with a rail ticket which can be purchased from a ticket vending machine using cash, credit card or debit card. Ticket vending machines are located on all METRORail platforms.

The ticket is only valid on METRORail for up to three hours in any direction.

How To Pay

Upon request, show it to a METRO Fare Inspector or METRO Police Officer – either on the rail platform prior to boarding or on the train during your ride.

Transfers

When paying with a METRORail ticket, transfers to other METRO services aren’t included.

A dollar bill with a quarter sitting next to it

Cash (Bus Only)

You’re welcome to pay with cash and/or coins when boarding a METRO bus.

How To Pay

Deposit it into the fare box when you board the bus, as shown in the photo. No change is given.

Transfers

When paying with cash, transfers to other METRO services aren’t included.

METRO Money

A contactless fare payment option – this is a popular choice for agencies, hotels and convention groups looking to provide a disposable fare card to clients, customers or guests. The card comes preloaded with amounts ranging from $1.25 to $20. These cards can't be reloaded.

How To Pay

Tap your METRO Money card on the validator located on the rail platform and the fare amount will be deducted. Some fare validators are freestanding or attached to the platform railing. Others are attached to ticket vending machines, as shown in the photo.

If you prefer to go contactless, you can wave your card close to the validator as well.

Make sure the light registers green in the upper right when you tap or wave,

Transfers

After the fare amount is deducted from your card, you’ll receive free transfers between any of these METRO services for up to three hours in any direction:

Local bus
METRORail
METRO curb2curb

For transfers to Park & Ride bus service, you only pay the fare difference for up to three hours in any direction.

Common Questions

Fares

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
METRO curb2curb

Only regular fare mobile tickets are available for purchase.

Trip Planning

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.

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

Each individual bus route page
METRORail 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.
Eastwood Transit Center - 4400 Gulf Freeway
Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort St.
Fifth Ward / Denver Harbor Transit Center - 1500 Lockwood Drive
Kashmere Transit Center - 5910 Hirsch Road
Magnolia Park Transit Center - 6948 Harrisburg Blvd.
Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
Mission Bend Transit Center - 13855 Alief Clodine Road
Northline Transit Center - 7705 Fulton St.
Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road
Southeast Transit Center - 6000 Scottcrest Drive
Texas Medical Center Transit Center - 6934 Fannin St.
Wheeler Station Transit Center - 4590 Main St.

Trip planning tools are available on:

Various pages of the website, including in the Rider Tools section below
RideMETRO app for your smartphone
Google or Apple maps

Prior to Arrival

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
Google or Apple maps
Digital signs installed at select METRO bus stop locations and transit centers
Automated phone line by dialing 713-635-4000

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.

Travel Tips

To help make the journey pleasant and safe for everybody, METRO has developed a Code of Conduct for riders.

For example, smoking is prohibited in covered or enclosed facilities, including transit centers, bus stop shelters and platforms. And consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on METRO property.

Please review the full METRO Code of Conduct.

METRO accepts six payment options:

Cash (bus only)
METRO Q® Fare Card
METRO Q Mobile Ticket
METRO Day Pass
METRO Money
Vending machine tickets (METRORail only)

Our experienced riders tell us that the most convenient way to pay is by using the METRO Q Mobile Ticketing app, available by downloading the app for your smartphone.

When you first open the app, you’ll need to create a secure, password-protected account. That will allow you to purchase and activate mobile tickets. The tickets are valid for two years from the date of purchase.

When using bus or rail services we recommend the following:

Plan your route ahead of time
Download the RideMETRO app to view your route, track your bus or train, see schedules and more
Be aware of the last bus and train times and allow yourself enough time to get to your station/stop