The Voices of Public Transit

Earlier this morning actor Seth Rogan announced that he would be the voice for Vancouver's public transit system, TransLink. The video, posted by Rogan, shows a Twitter conversation between he and Vancouver's TransLink, the city's transportation network, which serves "residents and visitors with public transit, major roads, bridges and Trip Planning." Vancouver journalist Stephanie Ip made the suggestion to TransLink back at the end of May when the transit provider originally announced that Morgan Freeman had been selected to provide train announcements in partnership with Visa. The Vancouver Sun reported that Freeman's voice would be used in announcements of the partnership, and for transit etiquette, but not for individual stop announcements. Freeman, just a few days later, was pulled from the project after allegations of sexual harassment. Others questioned why a Canadian celebrity couldn't do the announcements. (Freeman is/was the voice of Visa.)

I’M GONNA BE THE VOICE ON PUBLIC TRANSIT IN MY HOMETOWN OF VANCOUVER. pic.twitter.com/JduvqtqU3o

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) July 26, 2018

Ip's suggestion of Rogan came to fruition today. Rogan, who grew up in Vancouver, is shown in the video announcing "Any opportunity to enrich the lives of the Canadian people is an opportunity I will take." Rogan will make announcements about etiquette, with one sample from the video reading "I know your bag is probably very nice, and you care deeply for it, but, that doesn't mean it needs its own seat." Another read "Those are very nice sneakers, but kind of a horror show of a sole. So get those feet off the seat. My momma might be sitting there one day, come on!"

So, if you're in Vancouver anytime soon, listen for Rogan's voice on your next transit trip. This will undoubtedly raise the awareness of public transit in Vancouver, and I think we can expect other agencies to follow suit. I can imagine (and recommend!) Houston's METRO including announcements from Beyonce, or from local athletes JJ Watt or Jose Altuve. Again, this would be a great marketing approach for any local transit agency, and something that would be quite fun, and educational.

It's doubtful that there will be any long-term influence solely through the use of celebrity transit announcements, but it may be something that entices people to ride transit (maybe just once, just to hear a voice!) that might not otherwise consider it.

Voices of Public Transit

Four years ago I wrote a post chronicling the voices of a variety of transit systems throughout the United States. (It was also posted on the Motherboard website.) It began with my curiosity of the announcements I heard each day riding Houston's METRO buses.

There was a woman who greeted thousands of transit riders per day in Houston. She never missed a day, and was consistent in her delivery. She greeted riders every morning with the same reminder: "Please tap your Q Card as you enter the bus." She read our route numbers and crossroads, and pointed to key destinations along the way. She even thanked you for riding METRO. 

Courtesy: METRO

If you ride Houston's light rail system she will remind you of each station, and what side the car doors will open when arriving at the station. There are also notices in Spanish for stations and door opening directions. So, that begs to ask, is the METRO Lady bilingual? Really, who is she? Does she live in Houston? Does she herself use public transit? Does she have to listen to herself each morning on her commute? What are her hobbies?... Okay, that's getting carried away. But in all curiosity, it's a voice Houstonians hear every day. So, METRO, who is the METRO Lady that reads our travel destinations each day? Does she have a name? If not, maybe we could give her an official name. 

After a bit of searching, I was able to find out who provided METRO's announcements. I also found out who provided the voices of many other systems. Thankfully, Bernie Wagenblast, a transportation communications expert in New Jersey, has been helping provide updated information about transit systems and their voices over the past few years. It's a fitting time to make sure that this list is updated.

But in all curiosity, announcements are something that urban denizens hear every day if they utilize public transit. Riders can probably find themselves remembering phrases throughout their routes, sometimes throughout the rest of their day. You may find yourself associating a particular place or intersection with the announcement on your route. We've seen the woman behind the voice of Apple's Siri and the voice behind AOL's iconic "You've Got Mail", now let's shed some light on the voices of those who accompany riders on some of America's largest public transit and rail systems.


New York City - Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (MTA) / The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PATH)

Charlie Pellett

New York City's transit system has many voices. One of the voices for announcements in stations and on trains is provided by Charlie Pellett, a veteran news anchor and reporter for Bloomberg Radio.



Carolyn Hopkins

Another voice in New York City MTA stations is provided by Carolyn Hopkins. Hopkins lives in Maine, and has recorded subway announcements for about 15 years. Oddly enough, this article from the New York Times City Room blog gives light to the fact that Hopkins herself has only ridden in a subway once, back in 1957! Here's another article that explains how Hopkins and colleague Jack Fox have come to be the voices of 110 airports (I'm sure you'll recognize her voice!), as well as the New York City subway system.



Bernie Wagenblast

Bernie Wagenblast, a transportation communicator, is yet another voice of New York City's subway system. He can be heard in subway stations throughout the city, providing updates on the one through six trains. Wagenblast records his announcements from the desk of his New Jersey home office.



The New York Times City Room blog had some fun with Wagenblast back in 2012, calling for fantasy subway announcements.  Wagenblast recorded a selection, which can be found on the City Room blog. They included "Watch the gap, and by the way, you look marvelous, simply marvelous!", and "Wake up everybody, it's time for volleyball!" There was even a subway rap (Spitting Mad 411 Remix) submitted by Christopher Bonewitz, to which Wagenblast performed like the subway MC he is.

Here's another great clip of Wagenblast chatting with local access broadcaster Paul DeRienzo about his recordings, as well as his other radio and transportation related activities.

PATH trains in New Jersey seem to still employ manual announcements on some trains, and some conductors have especially smooth deliveries, including this announcement on a train as it terminates at Journal Square in New Jersey (system map). Other PATH announcements are still delivered by recording.

New York's subway system hasn't been exempt from mocking either. The Gothamist reported that the MTA found that only 17 percent of their station's platform announcements were audible. And, even SNL took to making fun of the issue in a January 1993 skit where Harvey Keitel and the SNL cast made an entire skit surrounding the premise of inaudible station announcements. (I've looked for the skit, and can't seem to find it anywhere online.)

Washington DC - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA / METRO)

Randi Miller

In 2006 Washington DC's, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced a competition to find the voice of their subway system. Just as in New York City, transit riders had complained about the inaudibility of announcements. The competition's winner was occasional transit rider Randi Miller, who was working at a Lexus dealership at the time of the competition. Miller was selected from 1,259 contestants, and as a result has been routinely recognized throughout Washington DC. Station announcements on trains are still given manually on DC's Metro.

Chicago / Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

Lee Crooks

For Chicago transit riders, Lee Crooks is a name that not many know, but whose voice they recognize and hear every day. Crooks is the voice of Chicago's CTA announcements.

Crooks records the announcements for the system's L-trains and buses. Crooks, a professional voiceover artist, has done work for some of the country's largest corporations, including McDonalds, Wrangler, Beltone, Coors, Sears, John Deere and Walgreens, among others.  He auditioned for the CTA's announcement role in 1997 after imitating the announcer's voice on Walt Disney World's Monorail. In an interview Crooks shed some light to the fact that he and the CTA try to follow up to make sure that pronunciations are consistent with local dialects, and understands the impact that his announcements may have on the identification of a street or station. Riders of Chicago's L have even dedicated websites to local station announcements.

Boston / Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority  (MBTA)

Frank Oglesby, Jr.

In Boston, baritone Frank Oglesby, Jr. greets riders on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's trains each day. Oglesby is MBTA's deputy director of customer service for operations, and landed his transit announcement job by accident. Oglesby explains how he landed the job as he worked in the system's communications department. In this Boston University article, Oglesby recalls how MBTA decided to transition from manual announcements to recorded announcements to comply with Federal Transit Administration standards. MBTA needed a voice, and Oglesby has had the job ever since. You can hear all of his Red Line announcements in this video, as a recent train decided to cycle through all its station announcements at one time.

San Fran / OAK / (Bay Area Rapid Transit) BART

George and Gracie

In 2009 the San Francisco and Oakland area's Bay Area Rapid Transit system announced new voices for their transit system. However, instead of actually having a human record announcements, digitally created announcements were introduced. BART named George and Gracie, the new synthesized voices of BART.
BART relied on human, conductor-given announcements on its trains, but made the decision to move to an automated system in the late 1990's. BART concluded that "with dozens of stations and thousands of train arrivals every day, real live human beings just couldn’t keep up with the job of voicing all those announcements."

"BART chose a text-to-speech (TTS) system from Lucent Technologies, based on the long history of Lucent’s Bell Labs Division in developing TTS products. Lucent called its male voice John and its female voice Grace; at BART, they came to be called George and Gracie. The announcements alternate between the male and female voices on odd- and even-numbered platforms."

Riders of BART may argue that the system's announcements lack the same intimacy or connection that other major systems have, knowing that there is not an actual person associated with their transit announcements. George and Gracie sound more like robots than station guides.

Philadelphia / Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

Alvin Elliott

Riders in the Philadelphia area will recognize the voice of Alvin Elliott, one of the eight rail announcers that SEPTA uses to relay travel information to passengers. And, like all systems, SEPTA has instituted changes to their destination names to keep them current with the built environment. Elliott was a station attendant and when SEPTA transitioned to automatic announcements around 2000, he became the voice of SEPTA. There's even an imitator on YouTube that is quite caught up by Elliott's station announcements.

Atlanta / Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority  (MARTA)

Michele Torres

In Atlanta, Michele Torres is the voice of MARTA. She's also now a model. She has had a very tough last few years, battling breast cancer, as well as the loss of her brother. Skip to the 2:48 mark of this story to see her MARTA announcement.

Los Angeles / Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)

Metro instituted automatic announcements on their gold and green lines in 2004, with its blue line following in 2006. There are variations in voices among different lines within the system, but there appears to be no identifiable voice. You can listen to some of the announcements yourself here. A recent review of Metro's Los Angeles rail system compared it to Washington DC's Metro. Among other things, the reviewer noticed that announcements in Los Angeles were made automatically, while those in Washington DC are still made manually aboard trains.

Mathew Fleming of the Los Angeles Register recalls:

An automated voice informs riders what the next destination is in L.A., but in D.C., this job is done live, and no two drivers are the same. Some talk really fast, some have a broken mic, some are peppy, some sound sad. Occasionally, you get one that’s not afraid to show some spunk. 

One might be led to think that with the entertainment industry in Hollywood that there might be a famous voice behind the station announcements. Like Houston, this one is still a mystery.

Portland / TriMet MAX Light Rail

Enrique Andrade

In Portland, Enrique Andrade works as a courtroom interpreter, but moonlights providing TriMet's MAX Light Rail Spanish announcements. In a recent Oregonian story by Joseph Rose, we are given an update on a 2006 story, which highlights how Andrade became the Spanish voice of MAX announcements. Andrade, like many other transit voices, has lent his voice to local media outlets, and is represented by a voiceover talent agency.

Jodi Lorimer

Jodi Lorimer is the female voice to Portland's MAX English announcements, pointing riders to stations and the door side for each stop. Lorimer's voice "welcomes you aboard, advises to use caution when crossing track and gives a polite reminder to move for seniors and people with disabilities", as noted by Joseph Rose. More of Lorimer's credits are listed on this Portland MAX blog.

Orlando / Walt Disney World Resort Monorail

Tom Kane

Finally, what public transit list would be complete without the Walt Disney World Resort monorail? In 2012, Walt Disney World Resort decided to change the voice of their monorail announcement. Orlando native and voice actor Joe Hursh had been the voice of the monorail announcements since 2004. Disney did not change the recognizable "Please Stand Clear of the Doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." These were the words of Jack Wagner, a former voice actor who passed away in 1995, and was the monorail's first announcer when it opened in 1971. The new voice of the monorail is Tom Kane, a voice actor who has played to role of Yoda in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Hong Kong / MTR (Mass Transit Railway)

Cheri Chan Yu-yan

In Hong Kong, Cheri Chan provides the voice for city's trains and stations. She has been the voice of the MTR since 1992, beating out five other candidates for the position. She continues to provide announcement updates for new stations as well as re-worded announcements. Her voice provided standardized announcements, which replaced the often incomprehensible announcements made by individual drivers.

Minneapolis - St. Paul / Metro Transit

Kathleen Humphrey

Actress and singer Kathleen Humphrey lends her voice to her hometown Metro Transit Authority in the Twin Cities. She regularly sings in front of orchestra and opera audiences, but her biggest audience is the 60,000 people per day that ride Metro Transit's light rail system. Humphrey "won the part of the voice of light rail through an audition process in which both men and women applied. The goal is a voice that's 'warm, sort of neutral, authoritative, calm, reassuring.'"

Philadelphia, PA, Camden, NJ / PATCO

Bernie Wagenblast

PATCO, the Port Authority Transit Corporation of the Delaware River Port Authority, recently revealed the agency's "'next generation' train cars -- refurbished cars with upgraded interiors, as well as communication and operating systems" according to Greg Adomaitis of NJ.com. Based on the agency's social media accounts, they began operating their refurbished train cars during the first week of June 2015.

The refurbishment of PATCO's train cars features new interiors, security and mechanical improvements, as well as upgraded communication systems, including clear station announcements. Riders of New York's subway line may find the voice familiar. It is none other than Bernie Wagenblast, most noted for his "Next Train Arriving" announcements for New York City's 1-6 subway lines. In this sample of the new PATCO announcements, you can hear Wagenblast announce "Westmont Station next, Westmont". Riders seem to enjoy the new announcements, as Adomaitis described them as being "crystal clear".


Mobile Users: Tap to Hear the Audio (Shout)

New York City - Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (MTA) - Lexington Avenue Line (4, 5, and 6 Trains)

Jessica Ettinger

Jessica Ettinger is the Today Show radio anchor for Sirius XM, but is also the voice of subway announcements that passengers hear on New York's Lexington Avenue subway line. New York's NBC 4 said in a recent story that "Fifteen years ago, Ettinger lent the MTA her voice while working at Bloomberg News. They had her record "the next stop is" just once, and then she recorded the names of all the stops on the line." It seems her recordings are a bit too long for station stops, and the MTA is considering replacing her announcements with shorter ones given the record number of subways riders, which results in increased frequency of trains.

London - Transport for London (TfL) bus, and London Overground rail

Emma Hignett

The Guardian Cities features Emma Hignett, the voice of London's bus and London Overground rail system. Until 2005 London's transit announcements were made manually by bus and train drivers, when they were replaced by pre-recorded messages. Guardian Cities asks whether this shift will "kill personality on the morning commute." While the personality of driver-led announcements provides some charm and flexibility, the article is quick to point to the benefit of consistency, and the ability to readily provide announcements in multiple languages (as evidenced in Cape Town, South Africa).

Toronto - Toronto Transit Commission - TTC

Danny Nicholson

Danny Nicholson has provided his voice for Toronto's TTC announcements for nearly 20 years, but has now retired. Nicholson served as a radio announcer for many years before returning to school to study corporate communications, and eventually landing a position with the TTC. He became the voice for system announcements after a coworker suggested he audition for the job. Brad Ross, TTC executive director, corporate communications, offered, "Danny’s familiar and friendly, but authoritative voice, has been a mainstay in the subway for the last 16 years. If you didn’t know to stand back of the yellow line, mind the gap or not smoke on TTC property, you soon did after hearing one of the many public service announcements Danny recorded over the years."

Nicholson's voice will now be replaced with a professional female announcer.




Andrea Rooz

It hasn't taken long, but it appears that Toronto's TTC has chosen to use Andrea Rooz to be the voice of their transit announcements. Rooz notes that she grew up mimicking the TTC's announcements, but now she gets to record them for real according to Toronto's Metro News. Rooz says "nothing is as satisfying as being able to help the thousands of commuters who take the TTC every day."

Ottawa - OC Transpo 

Julian Doucet

Julian Doucet lends his voice to Ottawa, Canada's city buses and certain train lines. Doucet's experience in becoming the voice of OC Transpo is chronicled by the Megan Gillis in the Ottawa Citizen. As opposed to other Voices of Public Transit that auditioned for the role, Doucet's voice was picked from a bank of voice talents, and he competed with three women for the voice role, and he notes that "it was like American Idol but for bus stops."

Milwaukee - Milwaukee County Transit System

Maria Lopez and Tom Pantaleo

In 2017 the Milwaukee County Transit System announced that Maria Lopez and Tom Pantaleo, both personal voiceover artists, would be providing system announcements. Mass Transit reports that "Maria can be heard announcing all route names, bus stops, landmarks and transfers, while Tom is responsible for letting riders know about important rider messages."

Salt Lake City - Utah Transit Authority / FrontRunner

Ananda Alles

In Utah, Ananda Alles has quite the story. The 66-year old once-retired native Sri Lankan is now an engineer for the UTA's FrontRunner commuter trains. Alles's voice can also be heard by riders in recorded safety messages. Alles retired and relocated to Utah after one of his sons and his family decided to stay in Utah after attending college at the University of Utah. Alles grew up riding trains in Sri Lanka, and recalled his enjoyment of them. He answered an advertisement in the newspaper for UTA, and has been working as a train engineer for the past few years.

Alles says "I’m lucky. I found something I love. If you have a good day and a nice train, what could be better than that?"

Denver - Denver International Airport Train

Alan Roach and Kim Christiansen

In early 2018, 75,000 Denver residents voted to continue to hear the voice of local sports announcer Alan Roach, and to include the voice of news anchor Kim Christiansen, in Denver International Airport's train announcements. 10 local media members were selected from 60 nominees, allowing the public to vote from those 10. Roach and Christiansen were selected, and now inform travelers of information surrounding the operation of the airport's train when travelling between terminals.

San Francisco - SFMTA / Muni

Erica Kato

In July 2018, the San Francisco Examiner brought us the story of Erica Kato, a SFMTA employee and former television reporter, who is now providing announcements on the city's transit system, as well as other media content for news related to the SFMTA. While Kato isn't providing announcements for all routes and stops, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez reports that she will be 'the voice for spot announcements, like the warning to “Please hold on,” or to “please” give seats to seniors and people with disabilities.'

Kato was able to provide SFMTA with announcements on the fly, which is important, considering transit conditions change quickly. This is a difficulty of contracting for voice actors. What also makes Kato's involvement interesting is her familiarity with the city, and with the transit system. Rodriguez notes that SFMTA has been criticized in the last few decades for providing inaccurate announcements for street names, a result of using a voice actor (and Texan) to pronounce local street names.

Local transit agencies have a variety of choices for announcements, but it's continuing to prove worthwhile to look for talent within your own city. And for that matter, maybe even someone within your own organization, or who regularly rides your system.


For travelers or riders of public transit, these are some of the familiar voices that greet us each day. We know their voices, but at least now we've got some faces to go with them.

METRO Houston's New Chairwoman, Carrin Patman; Blogger Luncheon

On Thursday METRO Houston hosted a blogger luncheon, allowing a number of Houston's transportation, design and urbanist bloggers to meet with Carrin Patman, METRO's newly appointed chairwoman. The group included Raj Mankad from Rice University's Cite, David Crossley from Houston Tomorrow, Ryan Holeywell from Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Charles Kuffner from Off the Kuff, Tory Gattis from Houston Strategies, Raised on the Rail, Andrea Greer, and myself. This was certainly a group with a wide variety of perspectives, interests and personalities, but there's no question that transit is important to every one of us.

Patman was appointed chairwoman on April 7, 2016, and is taking over METRO during a period of time where the agency has done a lot of good work in the near past, finishing rail projects (not on time, and, almost finished except for one last bridge on the Green Line), reimagining the agency's bus routes, and repairing relationships with government officials and the community. As Patman rides further into her leadership, she'll be faced with a number of challenges, including light rail and commuter rail conversations, the building of a BRT line in the Uptown, further modifications to the recent New Bus Network, as well as improving commuter experiences on both buses and rail lines.

Last month Patman spoke with Houston Matters, providing some perspective on her first few weeks as chairwoman. This interview gives a great background of the goals that Patman will be setting for the agency under her leadership.

During yesterday's luncheon Patman was joined by members of METRO's Executive Leadership Team, including President and CEO Tom Lambert, as well as Jerome Gray, the agency's Vice President and Senior Press Officer. Kurt Luhrsen, as well as members of METRO's communications team. Patman laid out her major goals as chairwoman, with METRO staff proving more in depth insight as to the status of current or planned agency projects. She highlighted three main goals:

1. A Regional Transportation / Transit Plan
The last plan dates back to 2003, and much has changed in Houston since then. The plan gave us the existing rail lines, except for the University Line, which has now lost any form of federal funding that was once available. Patman said that it is time to start a new plan, likely asking for bonding authority to pay for future improvements, possibly specifying routes or modes of transit. As Houston continues to grow, it's inevitable that there will need to be increased opportunities for transit, not simply adding highway lanes.

Patman said that the agency needs to continue to look at adopting every mode of transit, whether rail or bus rapid transit. She also noted the possibility of a Hobby Airport rail extension as part of the plan, and the need to establish an east-west connection into Houston's Galleria / Uptown District area. It is arguably Houston's fastest growing center, but still does not effectively tie into METRO's Park and Ride system, although this problem is slated to be relieved with the Uptown BRT line. (It's worth noting that the Galleria is linked to Downtown Houston through the 82 bus route, which has been the backbone of the bus system for a long time, and has routes with peak 6 minute frequency, and off-peak frequency of 10 minutes.)


2. New Bus Network Improvements
In her most recent Houston Matters interview Patman noted that change sometimes brings unintended consequences, which METRO has experienced in select areas with respect to the New Bus Network. Selected bus routes were changed, especially in low ridership areas, leaving some riders without bus options. this is especially difficult because many of those left without bus options rely on the bus for transit.

Patman assured that the agency will not leave out those that are without bus service. I think that's a tough promise to keep as many parts of METRO's service area may not justify a route that transports a small number of riders. As seen with the New Bus Network, there is a balance for the agency in providing coverage compared to frequency. Without adding additional resources, likely at a cost, greater frequency (which is probably the more important of the two to many riders) cannot happen.

METRO has been using their Community Connector service in Acres Homes, with fair ridership according to METRO staff. The Community Connector acts as an "on-demand" service within a particular zone to provide connectivity between major destinations and the Acres Homes Transit Center. This program was compared to Helsinki, Finland's now-defunct Kutsuplus program, which acted somewhat as an Uber Pool-type program. Aimed at decreasing the need for private cars and providing a connection between many of Helsinki's north-south oriented bus lines, the program was initially successful, then came to an abrupt end at the end of 2015. The program needed a larger scale in order to be more profitable, and the cost of doing so would have been heavily supplemented by taxpayers. It's important to remember that this is a method for supplementing trips in areas that may not warrant as many frequent bus routes.

3. Marketing and Ridership Experience
Patman's final major goal was the continuation of improving the ridership experience on METRO's bus and rail lines, as well as marketing the system to new users. Charles Kuffner has started posting a series of suggested improvements, one specifically aimed at marketing. Kuffner cites using transit applications to crowd source improvements, essentially depicting a story of transit users and comparing their commutes to those in cars. Kuffner notes that many people claim their trips on transit seem to take longer, but that many probably underestimate the time it takes them to walk to their cars, drive, park and walk to their destinations.

This is likely true, as people crave the personal autonomy of a car, and still may have stigmas about public transit, especially bus service. I mentioned my perspectives regarding the seemingly lingering stigmas of public transit in Houston, where people see the bus system as somehow less sophisticated than rail. METRO is gaining ridership thanks to the New Bus Network, so it seems that this stigma (hopefully) is eroding. METRO's April 2016 ridership levels were down 6% on the local bus network, down 16% on park and ride, totaling a 1% decrease from April 2015. (April also included the Tax Day storms, which closed many METRO routes. The 1% drop in ridership also accounted for a 30% jump in light rail ridership in April 2016, primarily bolstered by the Final Four.) It's still difficult to convince some riders, especially with the condition of some bus stops and rail stations. Continued METRO Police and Fare Inspector presence would be of benefit.

One of the ways METRO can continue to build ridership and market itself, especially among those that bike, is partnering with local bike shops to provide Q-Cards to those that buy a bike during a specific time frame. In 2013 the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico established a bus pass program that provided free bus passes in exchange for the purchase of a bicycle and/or bicycle equipment. This program was aimed at decreasing the number of Santa Fe residents that need to rely on their cars, allowing more residents to use transit. This might allow more residents to fill the gaps, or provide better transportation for that "last mile".

With regard to technology and collecting user experience metrics, METRO can mimic the MuniMobile "Rate my Ride" feature on their mobile ticketing application. For riders, this is a great way of providing instant data related to the comfort of routes or specific buses, as well as trip time and the etiquette of fellow passengers. METRO uses the same software developers as San Francisco's Muni, moovel transit, so the work has already been done. METRO should certainly look into using this technology themselves. Leah Binkovitz at the Kinder Institute provided an update as to the use of METRO's Q Mobile application, noting that in April it accounted for 3 percent of single-day trips. Later this year the application will be able to be used for Park and Ride trips as well.

As the agency looks to serve as a complement to future transit systems, such as the Texas Central Railway, it may be smart in determining how METRO's Q Mobile application may interact with DART or Texas Central, allowing riders to use one application to pay for each service without multiple applications or loading of fares.

Raj Mankad stressed again the need for essentially bridging gaps between adjacent transit agencies to allow longer commutes, such as being able to get to Galveston using METRO's park and ride, along with Galveston-area transit providers. Tory Gattis also talked about the potential for connections between Space Center Houston, arguably Houston's top tourist attraction, and Downtown Houston and Galveston.

In thinking about the physical ridership experience, it is important to remember there are other systems that feed into a transit system, such as sidewalks and the public realm. When the System Reimagining project was announced, I took a little tour of what my new bus commute was going to be. Because much of the New Bus Network would be comprised of a more-frequent grid pattern, that meant passengers would need to transfer buses more often. In my "Ride Your Route" experience I found many of the intersections of frequent routes to lack amenities that make taking the bus comfortable. Houston's unpredictable rain patterns (especially in 2016), as well as the heat, make shelters, sidewalks and proximity important. My largest take away was, "Most importantly, METRO and the City of Houston must focus on improving the pedestrian realm along frequent bus corridors and at transfer points." I think this holds true still today. When we look at crosswalks and the connections between transfer points, adequate shouldn't be the norm when people need to cross major thoroughfares to access their bus routes.

Tom Lambert, METRO's President and CEO, reiterated METRO's desire to work with the City of Houston, as well as TIRZs and management districts, who have a tremendous amount of funding to complete infrastructure projects. Lambert also shared that METRO will be adding an urban design position to their staff. This should allow the agency to better analyze how the public realm, developments, and the bus network interact and contribute to a rider's travel experience.

Lambert also noted the possibility of a pilot project along Westheimer, outside the 610 loop, that would allow buses priority signaling, as well as off-bus fare collection at certain stops. It sounds like the beginning of BRT along Westheimer, which would be of great benefit to many. There's certainly a great deal of roadway to work with, and a number of people to move.

For Heights residents, there was no mention of the Heights Transit Center, and I wasn't able to as about what might be happening with the land and the building. I've always thought this was a great spot for a park, considering the building would already be able to serve as a pavilion.

I continue to be impressed with the leadership of METRO in desiring to hear from their riders, and from bloggers like us. I'm sure each of us there yesterday would love to continue to play a small role in providing our transit perspectives, allowing more people in Houston to travel using public transit.

METRO Houston's January 24, 2016 Service Changes; Blogger Luncheon

Earlier today I had the privilege of attending a METRO Blogger Luncheon, where METRO officials continued to highlight the service changes that they would be making later this month. It was a time for a number of Houston bloggers, who regularly discuss their transit experience or work on creating dialogue surrounding solutions for Houston's transportation headaches, to ask METRO officials about changes to the bus network, how the New Bus Network is performing, and what other technological changes METRO is making in the coming months. Others at the luncheon included Charles Kuffner from Off the Kuff, Anastasia Hansen from It's Not Hou It's Me, Tory Gattis from Houston Strategies, Andrea Greer from nonsequiteuse and Kate Adams from Raised on the Rail. (It was great to meet everyone!)

The changes presented to us, and to the rest of Houston over the last few weeks, are in response to METRO's New Bus Network, which launched in August of 2015. For some, the changes were of great benefit. For others, the changes have brought about longer commutes.

It's a real balancing act for METRO officials to continue to provide services without spending a greater amount of money, something that transit riders frown upon. Many Houstonians depend on transit to commute, and a change in routes, frequency and running time can really throw a wrench into someone's routine. Given the sprawling nature of Houston's more-suburban areas, which are still serviced by local bus routes, allocating resources is hard. I will say, METRO is taking ridership very seriously. They're listening to rider needs and working on solutions. Their response has been great. As previously mentioned, METRO will be making a number of changes to their network on January 24, 2016. Many of the changes deal with frequency, and are primarily small route changes.

As METRO continues to learn about the habits of its riders, it's anticipated that tweaks like this will continue to happen. With only a few months of data to draw from with respect to ridership on the New Bus Network, there will likely be more service changes ahead. METRO will want to continue to adjust to rider demand, especially as new areas of Houston grow in density and intensity of land use, as well as when new attractions, such as office complexes, schools, colleges or public health and service facilities are built. That was a challenge with the previous bus system, as small changes over time left the system with many outdated routes that may have only served a few people. (The 50 via Detroit route comes to mind.)

There wasn't much talk about infrastructure, but I can guess that will be a topic in the future. Kurt Luhrsen, Vice President of Planning at METRO, and METRO Board Member Christof Spieler did made it a point that  METRO had made things a bit more comfortable and informative for riders when they added the directional signage to each bus stop sign. For instance, signs for a particular route may be across the street from one another, but it was not always intuitive where the route would head from each stop. Adding benches, bus shelters, sidewalks and lighting will be continued topics of conversation. (Look for a Rice Design Alliance article from Allyn West on METRO's bus shelter design and construction process coming soon. Spoiler: bus shelters cost way more than I expected.)

Transfers are going to be easier for riders come January 24th. On that day, riders will no longer buy a single trip ticket. They will essentially buy a 3-hour pass, allowing for an unlimited number of transfers in any combination of directions. (This is only for the same level of service, so, this wouldn't allow a local bus rider to transfer free to a Park and Ride trip.) This makes it much easier for those who are visiting Houston to use the system, and for residents that use transit for errands or pleasure. Now, trips can be made there and back, as long as they fall within a 3-hour window.

METRO also recently released the MPD Connect mobile application, which allows riders to report situations to METRO's police department. I had wondered why METRO did not roll this into their existing TRIP application, but was told that "MPDConnect was developed in-house & we wanted to launch it on its own before trying to integrate it with other apps."

METRO is also working on mobile ticketing. In December of 2015 METRO asked riders to participate in a beta-test of their Mobile QTicketing application. At the luncheon METRO Chief Technology Officer Randy Frazier noted that the application would be launched soon, likely in late February or early March.

We also learned today that METRO's TRIP application would be receiving an update. It's been good for riders since its launch, but an update will be welcomed. Also, it may be wise for METRO to combine the MPDConnect, TRIP and QTicketing applications. Separate applications for each function seems a bit inefficient for users. Even if that doesn't happen, the technological advances METRO has made in the past few years is welcomed for those using transit.

Finally, METRO is working in integrating Houston Transtar information into service notices for specific routes. For instance, if your route is affected by an accident causing your buses to be delayed, METRO can send you a notice so you're not left wondering whether your bus is simply late. I'm sure we'll hear more from METRO about this in the coming months.

A few loose items:

For Houston Heights residents, the Heights Transit Center was approved as surplus property at the last METRO board meeting. The process can be found in METRO's December 2015 Board Meeting Minutes Packet (large file). The 38,411 square foot site had been purchased in 1990 for $206,766. Now that the New Bus Network does not utilize the center, METRO has decided to unload it. It is not clear whether the property will be acquired by a local government agency, or sold by bid. It still looks as if there are a number of days before

METRO may look to make continued attempts to capture ridership, especially in the form of cyclists. A recent program in Santa Fe, New Mexico partnered with local bike shops to provide monthly or yearly bus passes based on particular purchases. A program similar to Santa Fe's Bike Purchase Bus Pass Rebate Program, even for a short time, may help to boost ridership. Perhaps Houston bicycle retailers such as Bikebarn, West End Bikes, Blue Line Bicycle Lab, or Daniel Boone Cycles would partner.

The luncheon was a great opportunity for some of Houston's outspoken transit and lifestyle bloggers to learn more about METRO's continued improvements, and to ask questions of METRO staff. METRO wants to make it as easy as possible for new riders to enjoy the benefit of transit in Houston. With these improvements, they're well on their way. if you're skeptical of the bus or rail, please resolve to try it once. And then, maybe again. It really is freeing watching your city from a vantage point other than from behind a steering wheel.

Midtown Houston's Circulator?

Midtown Houston is seeking feedback regarding a possible bus circulator system in Houston's Midtown District. (You could win a $25 Amazon gift card!) With Midtown's exploration of a circulator system, it joins many of Houston's other districts considering similar systems, as reported back in July of this year by the Houston Chronicle's Dug Begley.

Help plan better transportation services for Midtown. Please take our survey, we would greatly appreciate it. http://t.co/zaIZ0lC2sA

— Midtown Houston (@Midtown_Houston) September 8, 2015

Given the expansion and ridership of Houston's Greenlink Downtown Circulator, Midtown must feel that the time is right to introduce a similar service in their district. The discussion of a circulator bus system at this point in time is interesting, given the transit changes in transportation options as a result of Metro's New Bus Network. I'd image the discussion about a circulator in Midtown is nothing new, and is likely not driven by changes in Midtown's bus service.

Greenlink is made available by a partnership between Houston's Downtown District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation, and is available during the work week from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, with buses arriving every 7 to 10 minutes. In Downtown Houston there is enough of a daytime population and density of attractions to demand a circulator service.

I question whether this type demand and operating schedule could be the same for Midtown, at least at this point in time. Midtown has seen a great increase in multifamily development, especially along the district's north and west boundaries, and along the Metro Red Line light rail corridor, and features a high density of townhouse development along its southern and eastern boundary.

Midtown Houston's transit lines

This service seems like it would be much more attractive to residents of Midtown, as opposed to the daytime users of Downtown Houston's Greenlink. Midtown is one district in Houston where not owning a car is probably most feasible, given the proximity to Downtown Houston, Montrose and the Museum District, and the accessibility to frequent bus routes (one of which is located along Westheimer, serving the Montrose and Uptown districts). It will be interesting to see if there are any destinations that patrons would use the circulator service to get to that are not already served by transit. I would imagine though, that this service would be most useful outside the hours of the normal work day. 

If a circulator did operate in Midtown, I suspect it would operate differently than Greenlink or other proposed circulators around town. Midtown is known as an art, culinary and leisure destination, not a concentration of employment, which is what seems to be warranting the other circulator routes discussed in Houston. The most useful time for a circulator in Midtown might be at night while patrons to local bars and restaurants may desire to park once, then use the service to get from place to place, or to a particular parking lot, especially on busy weekend nights. This idea would be akin to existing jitney services.

If you're a business owner in Midtown, your thoughts are needed. Would you benefit from a circulator service? If you use transit to get to and from Midtown, your thoughts are needed. And, if you did want to use this form of transit, where would you want it to serve, and how much would you be willing to pay to use it?

It's not a question of whether the circulator would help achieve better access and promotion of local businesses, but whether the demand and population density currently exists to warrant a circulator.

METRO Houston's New Bus Network System Maps

This week Houston's METRO released updated system maps in anticipation of its Sunday, August 16th New Bus Network. Overnight, the bus system will change from its current configuration and service levels, to an entirely new system.

The new system maps will assist Houston's transit users in navigating the city. It is possible to travel in Houston without a car! The newly released maps are available on METRO's website, and should be available in print in the coming days, in advance of August 16th's network change. METRO has also updated the new system's interactive service map, which allows transit users to select new bus routes one by one to highlight their geography and frequency. The dual trip planner allows transit users to compare their current transit route to new routes.

Readers of the New Bus Network system's inset maps for the Downtown Houston/Midtown/Museum District/Texas Medical Center and Park and Ride system will notice a subway-system-like design, seemingly taking inspiration from Beck's 1933 London Tube map, and other subway system maps, including Massimo Vignelli's 1972 NYC subway map. These insets will be extremely helpful for riders navigating Houston's large landscape. Much like previous transit maps, especially London's sprawling transit system, the inset maps sacrifice exact geography to present transit users with basic route information.

Riders will notice a bit of additional information included on the Downtown Houston/Midtown/Museum District/Texas Medical Center inset map. Walking times are listed for paths between major destinations and between transit modes. I hope that the inclusion of this information will help show that there are great possibilities for traveling in Houston without a car, especially if your destinations are in proximity to Downtown Houston.

METRO Houston's Downtown inset map

Woodland Heights Residents Petition METRO Houston Proposed Bus Routes

Houston's METRO is preparing to roll out their new bus network on August 16th, which comes as a result of the agency's System Reimagining. But, as with any major change in a city, some residents are still not satisfied. Residents in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston have initiated a petition to modify the proposed 30 bus route.

Currently, the neighborhood is serviced by the 40 Pecore route. When METRO's System Reimagining was proposed in early 2015, the 30 Clinton / Ella route was shown to continue on much of the route that is both the current 40 Pecore and 50 Heights routes. Unfortunately, the routes have since changed, leaving Woodlands Heights Residents without transit on Watson / Taylor / Sawyer streets. The originally drawn proposed 30 route was shifted to the east to Houston Avenue. This creates a duplicated north / south service with the proposed 44 Acres Homes route, which incidentally has the same, and if not better, level of service.

Residents propose shifting the 30 route back to the first proposed reimagined route (shown below), providing service to Watson / Taylor / Sawyer streets between Pecore and Memorial Drive. This would continue to provide service to areas serviced by the current 40 and 50 routes. Shifting the proposed 30 route to the west along Watson / Taylor / Sawyer streets would also provide access to the Target-anchored Sawyer Heights shopping center, as well as the 2100 Memorial senior apartments. (I can attest that a healthy number of residents who live at this complex use the current 50 route.)

METRO Reimagining

The proposed amendments (from the residents of Woodland Heights) to the route shown below make sense to provide a greater coverage area to residents and major centers of activity, while minimizing duplicated service.

Courtesy: Philip Teague, Woodland Heights

METRO will continue to host public hearings regarding the new bus network, with a meeting on Wednesday June 3, 2015 at 6:00 PM, and another on Friday June 5, 2015 at 12:00 PM. Both meetings are scheduled to take place in METRO's Board Room. View the METRO board meetings and notices page for more details.

Caring About the Transit User Experience in Houston

I ride the local bus to and from work nearly every day, and I have to admit, I love it. When I tell people this, they usually give a second look. For me, it’s relative freedom from the grips of the morning gridlock. I can sit back, read and take in the cityscape. Stepping into a packed local bus gives a glimpse into Houston’s diverse population. Is there a better place to see the full spectrum of human nature on display than a confined space with 30 other strangers as you zip through the city?

No matter our age, profession or economic status, we need to get from one place to another. All of us want that experience to be as pleasant and safe as possible. Like urbanist blogger Daniel Kay Hertz said a few weeks ago, “Buses: They don’t have to suck.” Hertz focuses his recommendations on bus technology in Chicago such as all-door-boarding, bus pre-payment, or dedicated roadway lanes for public transit. In Houston, we might be best served to look at our ridership experience more holistically and focus on conditions in the pedestrian realm. The same applies here in Houston. Riding and waiting for the bus doesn't have to suck.

In transit, the most important issue for riders is likely the frequency and path of service.  If a service doesn't run frequently enough or is not direct enough, it's likely someone would simply drive a car. METRO will roll out their reimagined bus system next year, hopefully allowing more opportunities for ridership. We may allow more people to have access to our system, but will people use it? Will they feel comfortable using the system? What will the user experience tell someone about METRO or Houston? Will new riders give transit a try, and will long-time riders continue to support our system?

What's in a Transit System's Name or Acronym?; Alternative Names for Houston's METRO

What's in a name? that which we call a transit authority
By any other name would our ride be so sweet;

                        -not William Shakespeare, not Romeo and Juliet

Here in Houston we have METRO, or if you call it by it's full legal name, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. But no one calls it that; it's too much of a mouthful. And no one ended up calling the Authority "M-TAHC" (pronounced M-tack?), even though that sounds much zippier than METRO.

METRO has little descriptive element. It seems a bit impersonal, without connection or context. Any regional transit authority that serves cities can make a case to name their service "METRO". Of course it can, because it's in a metropolitan area. And, as I'll list, many agencies chose to use "Metro" in their names.

Don't misunderstand me. This isn't about METRO's service or ridership experience. I ride the bus every day and I love it. There's certainly always strides to be made in service and ridership experience. METRO is going a great job with the resources they have available, building ridership and making drastic route changes with their Transit System Reimagining, hoping it will lead to even more bus ridership in the future. They're also looking at strengthening their rider code of conduct.