CapMetro proposes Jan. 2026 route realignments, pickup-zone expansions and schedule tweaks

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority planning staff detailed proposed service changes to take effect in January 2026 and described outreach and equity review conducted during development of the draft.

“These service changes provide CapMetro an opportunity to adjust its services to meet the needs of our customers and efficiently use our resources,” Jordan McGee of the planning department told the Sept. 10 public hearing. McGee said the proposals follow board-approved service standards and that the agency engaged riders and operators in outreach.

Major proposed elements include a realignment of Route 485 (Night Owl Cameron) to run along East Seventh and provide late-night connections to the East Side Bus Plaza and nearby entertainment districts; a realignment of Route 935 (Tech Ridge Express) to shift nonstop service from I-35 to Mopac managed lanes temporarily while major I-35 construction is underway; and resource-neutral boundary expansions for the Pickup Lago Vista and Pickup Manor on-demand zones.

McGee said the Route 485 Night Owl realignment is intended to close late-night service gaps between midnight and 3 a.m., support nightlife on East Sixth and East Seventh and provide a transfer point to Greyhound service at East Side Bus Plaza, where Greyhound trips can start as early as 3 a.m. He said staff analyzed late-night ridership patterns and found demand along East Sixth, East Cesar Chavez and portions of East Austin that the existing Night Owl alignment did not serve.

The Route 935 realignment would use MOPAC managed lanes to bypass congestion linked to long-term I-35 construction; staff characterized the Mopac shift as temporary and said the route would return to I-35 when construction allows. McGee said the change would also remove a lightly used segment on Riverside Drive that currently shows average late-night ridership of 0–1 weekday riders.

For pickup-zone changes, staff proposed a roughly one-third-square-mile southern expansion of the Lago Vista pickup zone to serve an area with higher residential density and a Manor expansion to reach Darby Apartments, where several residents have mobility needs. McGee said both expansions are fully within the CapMetro service area and are resource neutral.

McGee said the agency considers equity throughout the service-change process and that, under CapMetro policy aligned with an FTA circular, these adjustments are not classified as a “major service change” and thus do not require a Title VI analysis. If approved by the board, McGee said most route and schedule changes would take effect Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, with Night Owl adjustments beginning Monday, Jan. 12, and pickup-zone rollouts occurring as early as October 2025.

McGee said staff conducted outreach beginning Aug. 10 and spoke with about 750 customers, residents and operators through on-board and at-stop engagement, a web comment form and the public hearing; feedback was largely positive, staff said. CapMetro officials also said they coordinated with regional partners on the changes and identified several routes for minor schedule or stop adjustments to improve on-time performance.