Regional Public Transportation Coordination
Local transportation agencies and transit providers in the Houston region have been working for years to improve public transportation service through coordination. In August 2005, a meeting was held at H-GAC for the official kick off of the H-GAC Regional Public Transportation Coordination project. With assistance from stakeholder groups and agencies, a Regional Public Transportation Coordination Plan has been developed.
The purpose of the project was to develop a Regional Public Transportation Plan that will lead to the coordination of public transportation services in the 13-county Gulf Coast planning region. The 13 counties in the Gulf Coast Planning Region include: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton. The plan addresses potential partnerships with stakeholders such as transportation providers, local governments, public agencies, and others to achieve the following objectives:
- Improve the delivery of public transportation services
- Generate efficiencies in operations that can lead to increased levels of service
- Encourage cooperation and coordination among agencies;
- Improve customer service for the end users of the coordinated system
The plan was developed from October 2005 – December 2006. Guidance for the development of the plan was derived from HB 3588, the enabling legislation for statewide Regional Public Transportation Coordination Plan efforts.
A Regional Public Transportation Coordination Plan (PTN) Steering Committee was created to assist H-GAC and consultants with the development of the plan that was submitted to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in December 2006. The Steering Committee members, who represent a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the region, were nominated and appointed by the H-GAC Board of Directors.
During the development of the plan, H-GAC in cooperation with the PTN Steering Committee hosted 18 public meetings throughout the region that included 350 participants. Additional public comment was gathered through 12 focus groups conducted by the Texas Citizen's Fund under a separate contract with the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. The focus groups included more than 115 participants.
To gain additional insight from the public, three surveys were developed and distributed to various audiences within the general public. The three surveys were targeted to consumers (the general public), social service agencies, and employers. To date, over 1,500 surveys have been received. The results of the public meetings and surveys have been posted to the project website, www.ridethegulfcoast.com.
More information including the final Report and Executive Summary can be found on the project website.
Project Website - Ride the Gulf Coast website
Regional Public Transportation Coordination Plan