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Metro McAllen’s decision to add a route to the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge was a good one. The route, initiated in late August, already is one of the system’s most popular routes.
Currently it’s a one-way route, but officials say they might add return service. They should try it; chances are they might get even more riders if those riders know they can use the bus to get back to their McAllen-area homes.
Similar service is popular in Brownsville also; many people who live in Matamoros and work in Brownsville, or vice versa, prefer to utilize public transit rather than spend an hour or more waiting to cross the city’s international bridges. Cross-border shoppers do the same, adding to the ridership of other routes such as those going to the mall and other popular shopping and commercial destinations.
Moreover, transit system officials in those cities and at the regional Valley Metro Company might want to look at the success of the new special route and consider similar targeted service, including routes for special events.
Shuttle and special routes are successful at several cities such as Dallas, which has Park & Ride express service between downtown and shopping malls and other sites with large parking lots across the city. For less than the cost of downtown parking in most cases, people can leave their cars close to home or have a family member drop them off, then ride the bus to work, government buildings or other downtown destinations. The riders don’t have to fight traffic — and risk accidents — and their vehicles don’t add to rush-hour congestion. Similar shuttle service is offered for major sporting events, concerts and other special venues.
Imagine a similar system serving events at Payne or Ogden Arena, UTRGV football games or special events such as Hidalgo’s Borderfest or Brownsville’s Charro Days, where street closures and parking difficulty could deter some people from going at all — some people just don’t want to pay exorbitant prices to park on somebody’s front lawn.
Might one or two shuttles per event from major cities across the Rio Grande Valley, or large parking lots within the cities, encourage more people to attend those events? If so, it could increase patronage, and revenue for event sponsors, as well as their cities and counties.
To be sure, some special routes might not prove successful. Brownsville’s transit system has tried shuttle service to the city’s airport and to South Padre Island, with limited success. However, some routes might address needs, and create opportunities, that many officials might not have considered.
Certainly, adding routes involves many considerations that could affect their viability, such as acquiring and maintaining one or more additional buses, hiring more drivers or paying overtime, insurance and other expenses. Revenue from the additional routes would need to cover these costs in order to make the routes worth the additional work and investment.
However, certain routes might be worth a look or even a trial run, as the success of McAllen’s new route, and similar service elsewhere, have proven.