Austin News

New MetroRail ticket vending machines (TVMs) sell Commuter Single Ride and Day Passes — but not Local Passes for bus passengers.

That decision has some people wondering if MetroRail has gone off the rails. Local Passes make up 92 percent of daily ridership, according to a January report from MetroRail, while Commuter Rail and Day Passes make up 5 percent, according to the same report.

Local Passes are available in the vending machines. The vending machines do not accept credit or debit cards and require payment by cash, Stored Value Cards or an electronic change card (ECC) previously issued by a TVM.

The new MetroRail ticket vending machines are being installed. | Capital Metro

MetroRail spokeswoman Jenn Maxfield said the TVMs’ services were adapted because of customer feedback.

“When we first launched the rail service, our ticket vending machines offered all ticket types,” Maxfield said. “We received customer feedback that there was confusion about which ticket to buy and our staff regularly encountered customers on the trains that had purchased the wrong ticket. Subsequently, we changed the machines to only sell commuter tickets.”

She said there will be adaptations as the process continues. The new TVMs are being installed and the older ones removed. So far, they have been installed at all but one rail station — not at the Martin Luther King Jr. station due to electrical wiring issues and a problem with the bike cage.

“Since the new machines are deployed in locations which primarily serve commuter customers (rail stations and park and rides), we are deploying them in the same fashion as our current machines,” Maxfield said. “As we deploy the machines to other locations, we will configure those machines to sell both ticket types as it makes sense to do so.”

The 21 new machines cost $14,285.71 each, she said. A contract with Flowbird, awarded in April 2019, calls for purchasing up to 20 per year as needed.

Maintaining them will cost an estimated $167,914.25 for the first year, Maxfield said. The number of machines and the cost to have them issue Local Passes was not disclosed.

MetroRail is a division of Capital Metro, Austin's regional public transportation provider. It was founded in 1985 with a goal of providing transit options for residents, commuters and visitors to Texas’ capital.

“We're always on the move, connecting people with jobs, schools, restaurants, shops, festivals and other great places to hang out,” Capital Metro states on its website. “In fact, we have more than 31 million boardings every year.”

It covers 32 miles of track and has nine stations.

Central Texas mass transit users will see other numerous changes in coming years. In December, a regional transit map detailing rail and bus services in the region was approved by the Capital Metro board.

Project Connect is designed to use bus-rapid transit, light rail and autonomous vehicles to help people traverse the region with as little traffic disruption as possible. It will connect Austin to Buda, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Hutto, Leander and Round Rock. Plans for a light rail subway system also are under discussion.

The project would involve the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the Texas Department of Transportation and area counties. A meeting to discuss the regional program was held Monday. CapMetro officials, city of Austin representatives and technical consultants huddled to look at the plan. Supporters held a rally in conjunction with the meeting.

For more information, go to http://capmetro.org/metrorail or call 512-474-1200

For more on passes, go to https://www.capmetro.org/fares-passes.