The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Capital Metro, provides public transportation in Austin. On their website, you can find bus schedules, fare prices, and tips for using their services. In case you didn’t know, there is no cost for any international student or scholar with a valid UT Austin ID card to ride Capital Metro’s mainline buses or MetroRail!
Google Maps is a popular way to determine the best bus route to get to your destination. Google Maps uses bus data from Capital Metro, so you can easily see where a bus is on its route, using either your computer or its app on your phone.
Transit, an app that is used in many cities across the U.S., can also help you plan your trip. The service has a feature called “GO” that, when enabled, follows a user’s bus’s location in real time, which helps other people who want to know exactly how far away the bus is from their stop.
Capital Metro has its own app, which allows you to purchase passes for all of their services, including MetroRail. This can come in handy when you have friends or family visiting you in Austin!
When planning your trip, it’s best to show up at your bus stop a few minutes early. Buses can reach the stop earlier than their scheduled time, so you should be prepared. Buses can also run late, particularly during high-traffic times, such as in the morning and afternoon rush hour. If it’s dark outside, be sure to make yourself visible to the bus driver so that they don’t pass you up.
