CapMetro outlines phased Transit Plan 2035, urges more study of Guadalupe‑Lamar options and airport express connection

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…