CapMetro Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Free Rides on Tuesday

Capital Metro is turning 40. To celebrate, the Austin-based public transit system is letting riders board for free on Tuesday.

The agency is waiving fares that day for all of its services, including bus, rail, paratransit and bike share. To take advantage of the services, customers can just board their transportation method of choice. Bike share customers will need to select the “Fare-free Day” pass in the CapMetro app.

The free rides come four decades to the day that the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched service in Austin and surrounding Central Texas suburbs. On July 1, 1985, red, white and blue CapMetro buses hit the streets for the first time in what the Austin American-Statesman called a “grand and costly experiment.”

Seven months earlier, voters approved the transit authority’s creation and OK’d a 1% sales tax increase to help fund the autonomous regional government entity.

CapMetro succeeded an existing city-owned bus system, Austin Transit, with a goal to boost public transportation use in the city and reduce traffic congestion. A ceremony on its first day included a hand-off of the bus system from then-Mayor Frank Cooksey to the new authority. Fares, set at 50 cents, were also free that day, the Statesman reported.

CapMetro initially serviced about 35 routes with 114 buses. It now completes 26 million trips a year on more than 70 bus routes, a commuter rail line and various other transit services in Travis and Williamson counties, according to the organization. The transportation authority also now has its own police force.

City of Austin, Travis County and state officials are expected to designate July 1 as CapMetro Day at a media event Tuesday.