METRO Board Approves Requiring Facial Coverings on System

HOUSTON, TX - METRO is continuing to expand its public service efforts requiring all riders, employees, contractors and visitors wear a face covering unless impracticable due to a medical condition. The health and safety rule unanimously approved today by METRO's Board of Directors extends to METRO vehicles, facilities and transit centers.

The new rule is also consistent with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's signed order mandating that everyone over the age of 10 wear a face covering while in businesses or on commercial properties, including employees, visitors and customers. That order will be effective until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 30.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged face masks do provide a benefit in preventing the spread of the disease.

METRO has brochures available on buses and trains with CDC instructions on how to make your own face coverings, and subject to availability, METRO will provide a mask to customers needing one while riding the system or entering a METRO facility.

Additionally, more protective upgrades are being added to buses, trains and METROLift vehicles. Operators and riders will have access to hand sanitizer while on board and protective shields around drivers' seats will now provide another layer of separation between operators and riders.

Fare Collection & RideStore Operations to Resume

Because of these additional safety measures, METRO will be returning to fare collection on July 12, 2020. At that time, front door boarding and exiting will also resume and boarding from the rear door will no longer be allowed.

METRO will reopen the RideStore at the Downtown Transit Center, 1900 Main Street on Monday, July 6, 2020.

Customers should keep the following in mind.

• Customers will be required to use a designated entrance, wear a mask and undergo a temperature check before entering the RideStore.
• The main lobby will remain closed to the public.
• Fare cards can be purchased and reloaded at machines located on rail platforms and buses, and at local retailers, and online.
• METRO's Lost & Found Office will be opened.
• METRO RideStores at Fannin South and 1001 Travis Street remain closed.
• For answers to common questions about fares (including fare costs, payment methods, where to buy fares and more), please visit our fare collection page.

Schedules for the week of June 29 are below.

Park & Ride - Downtown Destinations

• Service will operate from 5 - 9 a.m. for inbound trips and from 3 - 7 p.m. for outbound trips.
• Buses are scheduled to pick up passengers approximately every 15 minutes, with the exception of 236 Maxey/ Baytown which will run every 30 minutes.
• There will be no midday or late night service.
• Customers should allow extra time for travel as the buses may make more stops than usual.

Park & Ride - TMC Destinations

• Routes serving the Texas Medical Center will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
• 291 Conroe Park & Ride will only run 6:30 a.m. inbound and 4:30 p.m. outbound trips.

Local Bus

• Local bus routes will continue to run on a modified Saturday Schedule seven days a week.
• Route designations can be found on bus stop signs and on this METRO local bus route color chart.
• Extra buses have been added on routes with high demand to allow riders to spread out on vehicles.

METRORail

• Red Line: operating every six minutes on weekdays, and every 12 minutes on weekends.
• Purple & Green Lines: operating every 18 minutes.
• Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4: METRORail will operate on a Sunday schedule in observance of the Independence Day Holiday.

METROLift

• Friday, July 3 all subscription trips will be cancelled due to the closure of METROLift reservations and customer service in observance of the Independence Day Holiday.
• Customers should call the reservation line at 713-225-6716 on Thursday, July 2, to schedule trips for July 3 through July 6.
• Seating capacity on METROLift vehicles is reduced by 50 percent to encourage social distancing which may lead to delays.
• Please call METROLift Customer Service at 713-225-0119 if you have questions or need assistance.

HOV/HOT Lanes

• Service on all METRO operated HOV/ HOT lanes is operating during regular hours.
• During non-peak hours, single-occupant vehicles can access the HOV / HOT lanes for a toll.

METRO stepped up its cleaning schedule of vehicles at the beginning of March. In addition to daily cleaning, buses and trains are also cleaned midday.

Along with using public transit for only essential trips, customers are reminded seating capacity on all METRO vehicles remains reduced to encourage social distancing.

Please keep the following recommendations in mind when riding METRO:

• Separation of six feet or more from other people while on METRO vehicles, platforms and shelters is encouraged.
• Please help METRO 'Keep it Clean' with proper disposal of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
• Customers are encouraged to monitor METRO's Twitter and Facebook pages for timely information regarding transit. METRO also offers real-time information through its service alerts system.