Downtown Houston - Transportation

Transportation

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates Houston's public transportation. Downtown Houston is served by five light rail stations on METRORail's Red Line: Downtown Transit Center, Bell, Main Street Square, Preston, and UH–Downtown. METRO operates many bus lines through Downtown.

Downtown Houston has a free bus route called Greenlink. The route travels along a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) circular route in Downtown Houston. Seven buses are funded with two Federal Transit Administration grants that total $2.25 million. It operates from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday. During periods with less ridership, the buses arrive every twenty minutes. For periods with peak ridership, including lunchtime, buses arrive every seven minutes. The buses run on Dallas Street, Louisiana Street, Smith Street and Walker Street. The buses are used to connect retailers and restaurants in Houston Center, Houston Pavilions, and Macy's to office workers and convention clients in southwestern Downtown. The Downtown Houston Management District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation Houston First Corporation, a local government corporation that owns the Hilton Americas-Houston and manages the George R. Brown Convention Center and other city-owned buildings, pays for the operating expenses of the route.

METRO formerly operated a free intra-Downtown bus service. When the service operated at its peak, METRO had a fleet of 28 trolley-style buses. At its peak the service carried over 10,000 riders each day on five different routes. When METRO introduced a 50 cent rider fee in 2004, the ridership decreased dramatically, and in 2005 METRO ended the service.

There are a number of taxi cabs that can be hailed from the street, twenty-one taxi stands, or at the various hotels. Trips within downtown have a flat rate of $6 United States dollars by cab. After the METRO trolley service ended, the City of Houston enacted the required flat $6 fee for all travel within Downtown. To make up for the loss of the METRO trolley, jitney and pedicab services appeared.