CapMetro officials told the Austin City Council Mobility Committee on Oct. 16 that Transit Plan 2035 is a data‑driven, phased 5‑ to 10‑year roadmap for bus, rail and pickup service that will be implemented through successive service changes beginning in 2026.

Sharmila Mukherjee, CapMetro chief planning and development officer, said the recommendations were “derived not just from extensive data analysis, but a robust public engagement process that reached 10,000 people.” She told the committee the plan is guidance, not an immediate set of service changes, and that each recommendation will go through CapMetro’s regular service‑change process and additional public engagement before deployment.

The plan matters because it frames how CapMetro will reorganize bus service to integrate with Austin Light Rail and changing travel patterns. Mukherjee said the plan aims to grow ridership over the next five years, improve east‑west connections, and create smoother transfers to light rail and regional rail as new infrastructure opens.

CapMetro asked the committee to note a set of specific recommendations and further study: the Urban Transportation Commission urged CapMetro to continue studying two primary options for Guadalupe‑Lamar bus service after light rail — either routing new rapid spines down San Jacinto and Trinity (an “801/803” style alignment) or using 801/803 as feeder routes that stop at light‑rail endpoints. UTC Chair Susan Summers said the commission “recommend[s] those two options continue to be studied” and expressed a preference that the existing local Routes 1 and 3 remain through‑running local services rather than being truncated.

Other recommendations explained to the committee include: replacing Route 20 at light‑rail initiation with an express airport connection from either Pleasant Valley Station or Yellow Jacket Station timed to light rail schedules; exploring replacement options for Route 466 (a Domain area circulator) with improved Domain‑uptown connections; a public‑safety improvement plan for Westgate Transit Center tied to new Rapid 815 service; returning the Gold Line concept to the 5–10 year network; and prioritizing funding and grants for Red Line grade separation at Crestview. The UTC and CapMetro also recommended planning for 15‑minute peak Red Line frequencies after grade separation and preparing ETOD (equitable transit‑oriented development) planning around any future Red Line infill station.

CapMetro staff described phased timing: within five years the agency will focus on bringing new rapid routes (for example the 800 and 837 Expo Center routes) to full frequency, opening new park‑and‑rides such as Goodnight Ranch and North Burnet Uptown Station, and making near‑term operational adjustments. In the five‑to‑10‑year period, staff said, bus network realignments will aim to integrate with light rail and implement concepts that require additional funding or partner agreements; beyond 10 years, CapMetro listed “facilitator projects” and network concepts that depend on further market readiness and investment.

Planners described specific geographic proposals: northeast service to support 837 Expo rapid frequencies and more frequent Airport Boulevard service; southeast changes to improve airport access and link Montopolis to East Side Bus Plaza; northwest realignments to improve east‑west connections and consideration of two new pickup zones near 183 and Georgian Acres; a southwest rapid connection linking Oak Hill and South Austin to employment centers; a downtown bidirectional loop and service adjustments to maintain access along 30th Street and Cesar Chavez; and plans to convert most UT shuttle routes to mainline fixed route service, improving frequency and seven‑day availability.

CapMetro emphasized the plan’s financial realism: staff said sales tax — the agency’s primary funding source — is not growing as it once did, and several recommended elements are “financially restrained” or will require coordination with partners such as the City of Austin, Austin Transit Partnership and university and county stakeholders.

The Transit Plan 2035 will go to the CapMetro Board of Directors on Oct. 20 for approval; CapMetro staff told the committee that implementation will proceed through successive service changes beginning in 2026 and that each service change will include additional public engagement and formal adoption by the CapMetro board.

Committee members pressed staff on details of implementation, including how and when neighborhood‑level stop decisions (for example on Route 30 and the Spyglass stop) would be reviewed; Mukherjee and staff said local comments submitted now will be reviewed and then revisited in the service‑change process at implementation. Planners also said CapMetro examined existing park‑and‑ride usage, found post‑pandemic declines in some locations, and will consider both optimizing underused sites and piloting new connections to boost ridership.

The committee and CapMetro staff agreed that the plan’s phased approach gives multiple opportunities for targeted stakeholder outreach — including additional engagement with school districts, neighborhood groups and employers — before route‑level changes are finalized.

CapMetro presenters on the record included Mukherjee, project managers Lawrence Dieter and Rose Lisco, service‑planning lead Roberto Gonzalez and planners Jordan McGee and John Magee. The committee chair and members present included Council Member Paige Ellis (Mobility Committee chair), Council Member Harper Madison and Council Members Lane and Vela.

The Mobility Committee received the briefing and encouraged continued coordination between CapMetro, the Urban Transportation Commission and city staff as the plan proceeds to the CapMetro board.