METRO Adds Trips, Restores Midday Service for ‘Park & Ride’ Commuters
By Indira Zaldivar & Edward Saenz, courtesy of The Dateline
To meet ridership demand, METRO announced a series of routes and schedule modifications effective Aug. 20.
“Changes affected various METRO local bus, Park & Ride, and curb2curb routes,” reads the METRO’s official page on service changes.
For example, commuters may now ride midday trips on five of the local METRO Park & Ride routes, including:
- 209 Spring / Kuykendahl
- 219 Cypress / Northwest Station / West Little York
- 229 Grand Parkway / Kingsland / Addicks
- 249 Bay Area / El Dorado / Fuqua / Monroe
- 259 Kingwood / Townsen / Eastex
For UHD finance student Hayleen Arauz, the midday service, which runs hourly between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., is convenient since she attends one class in person on Tuesdays at 1 p.m.
“My schedule is very different this semester, as I’m sure is the case for many students,” Arauz said. “It’s very helpful to catch the bus at different times, so you’re not stuck all day at school or coming in super early.”
Arauz has commuted by METRO Park & Rides since the fall 2022 semester, her first year taking in-person classes at the UHD campus.
As a RideSponsor student, she encourages other Gators who ride METRO to register for the UHD’s RideSponsor program, which subsidizes 25% of the monthly METRO fare costs.
Photo credit: Indira Zaldivar
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
