CapMetro is rolling out a citywide blitz to get Austin buses out of clogged traffic and back on schedule, leaning on small street tweaks, signal changes, and redesigned stops that officials say are already paying off. Agency staff and city planners point to a reworked downtown Guadalupe corridor as proof that modest fixes can cut crash rates while keeping hundreds of bus trips moving through the city’s core every day. Riders and transit advocates say the work is all about making bus trips faster, safer, and more predictable as Austin keeps swelling with new residents.
Launched in 2018 as a coordinated effort with the City of Austin, the Transit Speed & Reliability initiative mixes quick spot fixes, bus-stop upgrades, and broader corridor treatments. According to the City of Austin, the city and CapMetro signed an interlocal agreement that commits up to $1 million per year for design and construction and flags dozens of priority locations for improvements. The report also notes that bond funding and other grants are expected to move many of the recommended projects into full design and construction.
Guadalupe Corridor Shows Early Wins
On the busy Guadalupe–W. Cesar Chavez corridor, a key downtown north-south spine, CapMetro and city crews reshaped the northeast corner of the intersection, refreshed roadway striping, and redirected pedestrian paths to smooth bus movements. As reported by KXAN, those 2021 improvements cut bus-related crashes by about 60% on a stretch that now serves more than 24,000 passengers per day and roughly 392 buses daily. Nadia Barrera-Ramirez, CapMetro’s manager for cross-agency programs, told KXAN, “we’re holding ourselves accountable, being transparent, and also kind of learning what works through the system.”
Systemwide Impact And Riders Served
The Streets for Transit work fits into a broader Transit Speed & Reliability Program that CapMetro says reaches a majority of its riders and is delivering measurable gains on the corridors it touches. According to CapMetro, the agency logged more than 25 million annual boardings and serves a planning area of over 1.4 million people, and some pilot projects have trimmed travel times on certain routes by as much as 43%. Agency materials also point to fewer crashes and stronger on-time performance on corridors where transit-priority lanes and signal changes are in place.
How The Fixes Actually Speed Buses
The toolbox is intentionally low-cost and surgical: transit-priority lanes, transit-signal priority, queue jumps, and bus-stop optimization all work to keep buses out of the worst congestion and cut the time they spend fighting to merge back into traffic. City of Austin materials on transit enhancement spell out how combining operational changes with modest curb or signal work can shave minutes off busy routes. Designers say far-side stops, all-door boarding, and red-painted bus lanes are especially effective on high-ridership corridors…