Background
Public Transportation Coordination
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Houston-Galveston region
is home to 5.4 million people, including many persons that do not have access to
an automobile.
For the most part, these people
depend on public transportation to meet their transportation needs to
employment, shopping, and medical trips. Certain parts of the region are
serviced by public transportation providers, such as the Metropolitan Transit
Authority of Harris County (METRO) whose service area includes 2/3’s of Harris
County, but many other parts of the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region have
limited or no public transportation services. In some instances, basic
transportation service is provided by social service agencies for clients that
meet financial and/or medical eligibility criteria. In other cases, churches
and private companies offer limited services. Even with the various
transportation providers throughout the region, there are still unmet transit
needs in the region. The leadership of the state of Texas realized that there
were inadequacies in the area of public transportation and took action to
rectify the issue during the 78th Legislature.
House Bill 3588, passed during the 78th Texas Legislature, is a
statewide mandate to coordinate public transportation services and funding among
Health and Human Service agencies, Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Although this is a statewide mandate,
planning and coordination will take place at the regional and local levels. As
such, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) was designated the Lead Agency
for coordination efforts in the 13-County Gulf Coast Planning Region which
includes the following counties: Harris, Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers,
Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Waller, Matagorda, Wharton, Austin, Colorado,
and Walker. The intent of HB 3588 is to: 1) eliminate waste in the provision
of public transportation services; 2) generate efficiencies that will permit
increased levels of service; and 3) further the state’s efforts to reduce air
pollution.
Transportation stakeholders, health and human service stakeholders, and public
transportation advocates convened at H-GAC last September for the first regional
meeting on coordination. Over 200 persons attended and expressed a desire to
participate in the regional initiative to coordinate services among
transportation providers. Since that time, H-GAC started the coordination
effort by developing a steering committee and hiring a consulting firm to assist
in developing the regional public transportation coordination plan.
The consultant team, The Goodman Corporation, Nelson/Nygaard, and Texas Southern
University, are approaching this initiative in several steps. First, to gain
insight, the consultant team is surveying public and private transportation
agencies regarding the types of service they provide. In addition, the team is
interviewing social service agencies to determine the barriers that prohibit
transportation coordination, which areas have transportation needs, and how to
best serve the needs. Finally, in early August, public meetings will be
conducted in each of the 13 counties. These meetings will offer the general
public an opportunity to comment on transportation services throughout the
region. After a detailed demographic data analysis and transportation needs
assessment are conducted, an interim report will be given to H-GAC to forward to
TxDOT in mid September. The final public transportation coordination plan will
be submitted to TxDOT by December 2006.
About H-GAC
The Houston-Galveston Area Council is a voluntary association of local governments and local elected officials from the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region – an area of 12,500 square miles with more than 5 million people. H-GAC works to promote efficient and accountable use of local, state and federal tax dollars; serves as a problem-solving and information forum for local governments; and helps local governments, businesses and civic organizations analyze trends and conditions affecting the area in order to respond to their needs.
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