Austin City Buses Returning To Normal Service In June

AUSTIN, TX — Capital Metro will return to more regular service and operations in June, including reinstating fares for most customers, officials said this week.

The transit system had waived fares throughout the month of May to help ease hardships spurred by the spread of the coronavirus. Now, CapMetro is poised to return to more normal operations — conducted "...in a way that protects the safety of operators and riders," officials wrote in their current newsletter.

Another key change: with the return of fares, customers will board the bus using the front door once again. As a precaution, bus drivers had directed bus users to enter the vehicle through the back door to mitigate contact. With the return of front-door pick-up, CapMetro asks customers to have their fare ready before boarding while telling the driver the type of pass being purchsed (one way, round trip, day pass, etc.)

To ensure everyone's safety, CapMetro is implementing the following practices:

• Enhanced vehicle cleaning.
• Installation of plexiglass barriers that separate operators from customers.
• Requird face coverings.
• Safe physical distancing from other customers is recommended, so please leave empty seats between you and other riders when possible.

CapMetro also has extended fare-free service to people experiencing unemployment who have received an approval letter or email from the Texas Workforce Commission during the public health crisis.