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Bus service heading to Pasadena
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By MARK FLEMING
Public bus service in Pasadena and neighboring cities is nearing reality as Harris County Transit prepares to roll out its latest new routes by mid-December.
Ken Fickes, transit services director for Harris County, said his department will be introducing three new routes, expanding the county’s fixed-route local transportation system beyond the two routes currently operating in Baytown. The county also operates Park and Ride service to downtown Houston from Baytown and Pasadena.
Exact routes and schedules will be announced soon, he said, but the Harris County Transit site has proposed routes posted.
One route, the South Houston to La Porte route, will provide two-way service in a loop largely consisting of Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway. On the route’s western end it is expected to leave Spencer Highway at Strawberry Road, wind through north Pasadena, then through South Houston, before joining Fairmont Parkway and running along it into La Porte.
Another route, called the La Porte to Clear Lake Area route, will connect to that route in La Porte. It makes a circle through La Porte and Shoreacres before heading south on Highway 146, then circles through Seabrook, west on NASA Parkway and Saturn Lane, then through Pasadena on Bay Area Boulevard and Red Bluff Road, before returning to Highway 146 heading back to La Porte.
The third new route extends service from Baytown into the Crosby area.
Fickes said an extension of the South Houston-La Porte route that runs into Deer Park is still awaiting approval by the Deer Park City Council, and may be deleted if that city does not approve it.
He said the service is experimental, and is provided for its first year by a grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council. The only first-year cost to the participating cities is the installation of bus stop signs, while the signs themselves are provided by the county.
Local governments will decide based on the results of the first year of operation if they want to support the continuation of the service. The service in Baytown is supported by the county, the City of Baytown and the Lee College District.
Fickes said the service in Baytown saw changes to routes and schedules through its first year based on feedback from riders, and he expects a similar experience with the new routes.
He said the fare, as in Baytown, will be $1 for a one-way trip. Students with current ID cards from local high schools or from San Jacinto College will ride free, he said.
While Harris County Transit contracts with Metro to provide its Park and Ride service from Pasadena, it directly operates its own local bus service. Fickes said the buses and bus stop signs will be identified by the service’s logo.
Ken Fickes, transit services director for Harris County, said his department will be introducing three new routes, expanding the county’s fixed-route local transportation system beyond the two routes currently operating in Baytown. The county also operates Park and Ride service to downtown Houston from Baytown and Pasadena.
Exact routes and schedules will be announced soon, he said, but the Harris County Transit site has proposed routes posted.
One route, the South Houston to La Porte route, will provide two-way service in a loop largely consisting of Spencer Highway and Fairmont Parkway. On the route’s western end it is expected to leave Spencer Highway at Strawberry Road, wind through north Pasadena, then through South Houston, before joining Fairmont Parkway and running along it into La Porte.
Another route, called the La Porte to Clear Lake Area route, will connect to that route in La Porte. It makes a circle through La Porte and Shoreacres before heading south on Highway 146, then circles through Seabrook, west on NASA Parkway and Saturn Lane, then through Pasadena on Bay Area Boulevard and Red Bluff Road, before returning to Highway 146 heading back to La Porte.
The third new route extends service from Baytown into the Crosby area.
Fickes said an extension of the South Houston-La Porte route that runs into Deer Park is still awaiting approval by the Deer Park City Council, and may be deleted if that city does not approve it.
He said the service is experimental, and is provided for its first year by a grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council. The only first-year cost to the participating cities is the installation of bus stop signs, while the signs themselves are provided by the county.
Local governments will decide based on the results of the first year of operation if they want to support the continuation of the service. The service in Baytown is supported by the county, the City of Baytown and the Lee College District.
Fickes said the service in Baytown saw changes to routes and schedules through its first year based on feedback from riders, and he expects a similar experience with the new routes.
He said the fare, as in Baytown, will be $1 for a one-way trip. Students with current ID cards from local high schools or from San Jacinto College will ride free, he said.
While Harris County Transit contracts with Metro to provide its Park and Ride service from Pasadena, it directly operates its own local bus service. Fickes said the buses and bus stop signs will be identified by the service’s logo.
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