Bus-Stop Shuffle

Seen above are some of the routes most affected by Cap Metro's new changes. Details on other route changes are included at left. Download Cap Metro's "Service Change Guide," which includes detailed info on route alterations, and visit www.capmetro.org for new bus schedules.

Throw out your old bus schedule: Capital Metro introduces its new timetable, along with some route alterations, on Sunday, Aug. 24. The biggest and most controversial change is the closure of the Capitol Transfer Center – the stops on 11th between Congress and Colorado – after the State Preservation Board claimed there were security concerns for the Capitol and the Governor's Mansion. This means bus drivers will have to navigate the steeper and more circuitous route down West 10th. Coupled with the opening of the South Congress Transit Center at Congress and Ben White, this means several major routes will undergo route and schedule changes.

Route Changes: The 1L/1M, 9, 101, and 328 routes have been simplified and extended to the new off-street South Congress Transit Center (101 gets a peak-hours extension to Tech Ridge Park & Ride); 3, 17, 201, and 333 have also been revised.

New Routes: The 202 will provide peak-hours service for Battle Bend, while the new 122 will go from the Capitol Complex to Four Points Drive.

Linked Services: Several linked routes (in which one bus changes number midroute) have undergone changes: 4 and 18 will be unlinked, as will the 30 and the 328. The 5 will be unlinked from the 26 and connect to the 16, and the whole route now becomes the 5. The newly linked 15/10 will become the 10, while the new 20/26 will become the 20. The 7/27 route will become the unified 7, and the 9/14 will be renamed 9.

'Dillos: All old routes will be canceled and replaced by two new routes: the Congress 'Dillo (running north-south along Congress from 17th to Barton Springs Road) and the Sixth Street 'Dillo (east down Fifth from Lamar to Red River, then back along Sixth). Fewer routes mean more regular weekday services and a brand-new weekend service.

UT Shuttles: Parker-Burton service will be canceled; most other routes will undergo schedule changes.

MetroRail Connectors: Five new circulator routes will be serving the MLK and Conven­tion Center stations, starting late fall when the MetroRail Red Line opens.

Cap Metro is also expected to sign off on its new fare rates this week. The Local Government Approval Committee approved the changes on Aug. 4, and the increased fares are expected to clear the last bureaucratic hurdle – board approval – on Aug. 27.