CapMetro board adopts Transit Plan 2035, 5-1; plan phases service changes and emphasizes east‑west connections

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted 5-1 on Oct. 20 to adopt Transit Plan 2035, authorizing President and CEO Dottie Watkins or her designee to finalize the plan and implement changes through CapMetro's customary service‑change process in accordance with state and federal law.

The plan is a multi‑year blueprint intended to realign bus, rail and pick‑up services to match shifting travel patterns since the pandemic, expand east‑west connections, prepare for future integration with Austin light rail and reallocate existing resources rather than add new funding. "This plan will guide how our system grows, adapts, and serves the community for years to come," said Rose Liska, principal planner in CapMetro's planning department.

Transit Plan 2035 is grounded in data and public input, the agency said: planners reviewed population and employment density, travel behavior (including post‑pandemic cell‑phone mobility data) and received feedback from more than 10,000 community respondents and input from CapMetro employees and operators.…