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78-504: South Congress Transit Center is a Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus station in Austin, Texas . It is located off of Radam Lane on the south side of Ben White Boulevard , just west of South Congress Avenue in the SoCo area of Austin, Texas. The station features a park and ride lot and is served by several local bus routes as well as CapMetro Rapid Route 801 . As part of

156-648: A light rail system with 52 miles of track on existing streets. The referendum was narrowly defeated in November 2000 by 2,000 votes, with voters in central Austin tending to favor it, while those outside the city limits did not. The Comptroller's review cited an "ongoing criminal investigation" by the FBI , "irresponsible management", "expensive, embarrassing mistakes", "dubious contracting and purchasing practices", and $ 118,000 spent on "food, parties, and presents for its employees" and culminated with, "We have never, in all of

234-616: A streetcar suburb venture two and a half miles north of the city called Hyde Park , the destination for the first line. By February 1891, Shipe had built 5 miles of track, a new powerhouse to provide electricity for the line, and began operations as the Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company in places running just a few feet from the mule car tracks. Just a few months after the electric streetcars started running, an Austin City Railroad mule stable

312-790: A 2001 agreement. Seven cities participate in the CapMetro system and pay the associated 1% sales tax. All are in Travis or Williamson Counties: Additionally, two suburban non-city jurisdictions participate: the Anderson Mill area in Williamson County and Precinct 2, an unincorporated area in north Travis County . Service to rural areas in the counties surrounding Austin is provided by the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS),

390-434: A 7.537 million contract with Keolis to oversee fixed-route bus operations and maintenance for MetroRapid and MetroBus services. The contractor also manages the transit agency’s current 1,212 bargaining employees along with its 36 operations, safety and general management personnel. A new logo and rebranding campaign received mixed public feedback CapMetro began bus service to Round Rock in summer 2017. Instead of paying for

468-414: A central location, instead. Even more-formal terminals may just parking lots. The term "rank" denotes an area, specifically built for taxi operators by a municipality or city, where commuters may start and end their journey. Where they exist, shared taxis provide service on set routes within and sometimes between towns. After a shared taxi has picked up passengers at its terminus, it proceeds along

546-508: A city bond requirement. From the late 1910s into the 1930s, increasing automobile usage cut into streetcar revenue. Austin Street Railway began offering bus service on certain routes in the late 1920s. At the time, the company was operating 23 miles of track but by 1939 that was down to 17 miles and it was running 29 miles of bus routes. The last streetcar line to operate was the main line which began on Congress Avenue, ran south of

624-413: A consistent paint scheme for them, in practice the color of them varies wildly, as the "consistent" schemes have changed from time to time and many drivers have not bothered to repaint their cars. Rates vary depending on distance traveled, although these rates are generally well known to those riding the micro-bus. The fares also depend on the city. Riders can typically hail micro-buses from any point along

702-679: A drought and breakdown of a company-owned powerhouse left them without power for months. Then, in April 1900, the Austin Dam failed catastrophically . Following the dam break, the electric streetcars were again mule-drawn until the company finished building its own power plant. The Austin Rapid Transit Railway had operated at a loss from 1892 and was in receivership from 1897 until it shut down in 1902 selling its assets at auction to its president, F. H. Watriss. Watriss established

780-621: A dysfunctional organization beset by poor management. in an attempt to make the transit authority both more effective and transparent ahead of a performance review by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts ., the Legislature subsequently overhauled CapMetro and its board of directors.As part of this restructuring, the Legislature ordered CapMetro to hold an up-or-down referendum on passenger rail. In response, CapMetro released an ambitious plan that proposed to spend $ 1.9 billion for

858-521: A failed light rail vote in 2000 on urban rail in Austin. A vote on urban rail, a light rail or a streetcar system, was initially planned to be put to the voters as early as 2012. The light rail expansion plan was presented to voters but failed in 2014. In November 2020, Project Connect was approved by voters on the 2020 election ballot. The plan calls for 2 new light rail lines, 1 new bus rapid transit line (which could be converted to light rail in

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936-497: A federally funded rural transportation agency which interlines with CapMetro at several transit centers. In 2008, CapMetro voted to approve an interlocal agreement policy that would allow cities or government agencies to hire CapMetro to provide transit service, without requiring the 1% sales tax. The cities of Round Rock , Pflugerville (an original participating jurisdiction which withdrew in 1999), and Georgetown all have established this type of agreement with CapMetro though

1014-639: A form of paratransit . They are vehicles for hire and are typically smaller than buses. Share taxis usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, sometimes only departing when all seats are filled. They may stop anywhere to pick up or drop off their passengers. They are most common in developing countries and inner cities. The vehicles used as share taxis range from four-seat cars to minibuses, midibuses , covered pickup trucks , station wagons , and trucks . Certain vehicle types may be better-suited than others. They are often owner-operated. An increase in bus fares usually leads to

1092-472: A franchise for a "horse or mule railroad" on Congress Avenue , Pecan Street (since renamed Sixth Street ), and 11th Street. Construction of the line began on Pecan in November 1874 and mule-drawn streetcars began operations in January the next year. The company changed ownership several times until 1889 when it was bought by a group of Boston and Chicago investors who planned to extend services and convert

1170-495: A future phase of Project Connect , a CapMetro Rail light rail station is expected to be built at the facility. This article related to Austin, Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a bus station in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . CapMetro Voters approved the creation of CapMetro in January 1985, agreeing to fund

1248-401: A general strike in November 2008. In 2008, StarTran voted to begin a general strike, despite the fact that StarTran employees were already the highest paid bus operators in the state. Beginning on November 5, 2008, the strike caused the transit agency to reduce its fixed and paratransit service levels, particularly impacting Austin residents who had to use public transit. During the strike,

1326-664: A hotel. In Ouagadougou , capital of Burkina Faso , the share taxi or taxi brousse role is not filled by the traditional African minibus. Those in Kinshasa , DRC , (or perhaps just the Kongo people ) may call share taxis fula fula meaning "quick quick". There was no independent transport authority in the city of Kinshasa as of 2008. Share taxis do exist in Cameroon , but as of 2008 minibuses cannot be used for this purpose, by law. That same year, Douala , Cameroon, also

1404-494: A number does exist. Also as of 2008, the city lacks an independent transport authority, but some regulation , such as that controlling market entry, does exist. Route syndicates may be present but are described as "various". In Ghana and neighboring countries, share taxis are called tro tro . They are privately owned minibus that travel fixed routes and leave when filled to capacity. While there are tro tro stations, these shared taxis can also be boarded anywhere along

1482-876: A number of other transit modes. CapMetro's various bus services, which include express bus, bus rapid transit, and university shuttle systems, are by far the agency's most used services representing over 16.6 million of the agency's total 17.8 million boardings in fiscal year 2020. While the majority of bus routes operate within Capital Metro's jurisdictional area, the agency has contracts with cities and organizations to provide services outside its core service area. CapMetro's core fixed route bus service, CapMetro Bus, includes 82 standard routes and 15 high-frequency bus routes as of August 2021 . It has several primary categories of routes: Local (Routes 1-99), Flyer (Routes 100-199), Feeder (Routes 200-299), and Crosstown (Routes 300-399). CapMetro Busalso provides contract service to

1560-487: A pedestrian crossing Braker Lane and Jollyville Road. The next fatality happened on January 29, 2019 when a driver struck Anthony John Diaz while he was cycling near the University of Texas campus. Capital Metro previously used three contractors to run it's vehicles. Several passenger injuries were reported on First Transit although they scored higher than respectively StarTran and Veolia . Veolia Transportation

1638-529: A private entity that acts as the authority's agent in managing its unionized workforce. Metro drivers and mechanics are instead represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union , a major labor union representing workers in the transit system that boasts over 188,000 members representing workers. StarTran and the ATU have in the past had troubled contract negotiations, that most recently resulted in

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1716-404: A quarter-cent of its tax to those same local governments. That quarter-cent promise was later extended for three more years, eventually amounting to $ 113 million, for a total of $ 204 million. The city of Austin, given that something on the order of 97 percent of CapMetro sales taxes come from within the city, was to be the primary beneficiary of those promises. Since 2000, at least $ 106 million of

1794-662: A route from the Austin Convention Center to the Austin Central Library. The source of CapMetro's funding has been a source of considerable and consistent controversy since the transit authority's founding in 1985. In December 1988, the board of directors voluntarily lowered the sales and use tax to 0.75-cent. In June 1995, the Board of Directors reinstated the sales and use tax to the full one percent effective October 1, 1995, promising to set aside

1872-487: A semi-fixed route where the driver may determine the actual route within an area according to traffic conditions. Drivers will stop anywhere to allow riders to disembark, and may sometimes do the same when prospective passengers want to ride. Most share taxis are operated under one of two regimes. Some share taxis are operated by a company. For example, in Dakar there are company-owned fleets of hundreds of car rapides . In

1950-630: A significant expansion of rail services. The proposal was initially expected to produce an additional commuter rail line, the Green Line , as well as two light rail lines, the Blue and Orange Lines. This investment is on top of already-approved spending on two new stations for the Red Line. By mid 2023, the light rail portion had been scaled back amid rising costs — the Downtown Tunnel

2028-899: A significant rise in usage of share taxis. Liberalization is often encouraged by libertarian urban economists, such as Richard Allen Epstein of the University of Chicago , James Dunn of Rutgers , and Peter Gordon of the University of Southern California , as a more "market-friendly" alternative to public transportation. However, concerns over fares, insurance liabilities, and passenger safety have kept legislative support for decidedly tepid. Some share taxi services are forms of demand responsive transport and include shared shuttle bus service to airports. Some can be booked online using mobile apps . A given share taxi route may start and finish in fixed central locations, and landmarks may serve as route names or route termini. In other places there may be no formal termini, with taxis simply congregating at

2106-432: A traditional collective bargaining agreement with a labor union in the United States . In 1991, however, to comply fully with a state law prohibiting public entities from supervising unionized employees with collective bargaining rights, the CapMetro board determined that its unionized employees and their supervisors should be transferred to a separate non-profit company. In January 1992, CapMetro created StarTran Inc.,

2184-1019: A transport-dedicated regulator , Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Agency (LAMATA). Outside of Lagos, most major cities in Africa have similar systems of transport. Syndicates in Lagos include the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW). Minibus public transports in Rwanda may be called coaster buses, share taxis, or twegerane . The latter could easily be a word meaning "stuffed" or "full". As of 2020, in Kigali , Rwanda, syndicates include RFTC, Kigali Bus Services, and Royal Express. Over 60% of South African commuters use shared minibus taxis, which are 16 seater commuter buses, sometimes referred to as kombis . Many of these vehicles are unsafe and not roadworthy, and often dangerously overloaded. Since

2262-431: A valid pass, ticket, or equivalent upon boarding. CapMetro Rail operates on a proof-of-payment system. In 2010 the total number of board members was increased from seven to eight. The Texas Legislature also reduced the number of elected officials who are required to serve on the board, and instituted new requirements regarding the professional experience of certain appointees. The board consists of three members appointed by

2340-591: Is charged for children under 6 accompanied by an adult and emergency or military personnel in uniform. The University of Texas , Austin Community College , and City of Austin employees have contracts established with CapMetro entitling students, faculty, and staff to ride all CapMetro services for no charge with valid identification. Fares can be paid with a physical pass card, QR code or digital ticket on cell phones, or NFC chip-enabled tickets. Except for CapMetro Rail, all services require riders to present

2418-469: Is not part of a government scheme, but is simply a market response to a growing demand for such services. Route syndicates and operator's associations often exercise unrestricted control, and existing rules may see little enforcement. In many traffic-choked, sprawling, and low-density African cities, minibuses are used. In Algeria , taxis collectifs ply fixed routes with their destination displayed. Rides are shared with others who are picked up along

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2496-627: The CapMetro Rail began service on March 22, 2010. In June 2020, the agency changed or eliminated more than half of all local routes under 'remap' Riders became concerned by the lack of routes and overcrowding on existing and/or rearranged bus routes. A 2019 survey conducted by Eastside Memorial’s student council showed that 70 percent of that student body needed the prior local bus service restored CapMetro had its first passenger/bus fatality in its operating history on January 30, 2012, when route 383 operated by Veolia Transportation bus struck

2574-773: The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization , including an elected official; one member representing the small cities in CapMetro's service area; a member each appointed by the Travis County Commissioners and Williamson County commissioners; and two members appointed by the Austin City Council , in which one must be a member of the Austin City Council . As a public entity, CapMetro is prohibited by Texas law from entering into

2652-619: The Soviet Union , share taxis, known as marshrutka , were operated by state-owned taxi parks. There are also individual operators in many countries. In Africa, while there are company share taxis, individual owners are more common. Rarely owning more than two vehicles at a time, they will rent out a minibus to operators, who pay fuel and other running costs, and keep revenue. In some places, like some African cities and also Hong Kong, share taxi minibuses are overseen by syndicates, unions, or route associations. These groups often function in

2730-466: The $ 204 million promised to Austin and smaller cities such as Manor and Leander. At the same time, however, it was spending more than $ 300 million on commuter rail, park-and-ride lots, a new maintenance and operations center, and other facilities. As the Great Recession spread to Austin in 2009, tax revenues dried up and CapMetro had to stop payment on a $ 51 million loan owed to Austin as part of

2808-444: The 101 Express, which traveled along the same corridor. A second route, CapMetro Rapid Burnet/South Lamar (Route 803), serves a total of 24 stations between The Domain and Westgate . Both the 801 and 803 drew citizen protest until premium fares were discontinued in 2017 and the 801 had also reduced frequency of the then operating 1L/1M. The routes were rebranded CapMetro Rapid in 2023. Since 1989 when it took over operations from

2886-576: The 1940s, when Ghana still used the British West African pound and later the Ghanaian pound . Alternatively, its origin is not "three times three pence" but rather "threepence [thruhpnce, tro] each": doubling a coin's name in the vernacular means "that coin for each person (or item)". Three pence was the price per passenger in the early 1960s, when pounds/shillings/pence were still in use, including threepence coins, before decimalization of

2964-527: The 1980s, share taxis have been severely affected by turf wars. Prior to 1987, the taxi industry in South Africa was highly regulated and controlled. Black taxi operators were declined permits in the Apartheid era and all minibus taxi operations were, by their very nature, illegal. Post-1987, the industry was rapidly deregulated, leading to an influx of new minibus taxi operators, keen to make money off

3042-579: The Austin Electric Railway Company in 1902 and the old company was merged into the new one. The new company lasted until 1911 when it was bought by New England investors and renamed the Austin Street Railway Company. In the early 1910s the company faced stiff competition from jitney drivers who would follow streetcar lines offering cheaper service but those disappeared when they were unable to meet

3120-509: The Austin suburb of Round Rock (Routes 50, 51, and 152) and the University of Texas at Austin UT Shuttle services (Routes 600-699). In addition to its standard and high-frequency routes, CapMetro Bus runs a variety of special service routes (Routes 400-499) including Night Owl overnight buses and E-Bus entertainment-district services among others. CapMetro Express services are limited stop bus services that run between Downtown Austin and

3198-423: The University's schedule. CapMetro's CapMetro Rail provides commuter rail services on a single 9-station, 32-mile route, named the Red Line in anticipation of additional rail line development. CapMetro Rail operates the line with 10 diesel-electric rail cars from downtown Austin through the north central and north west areas of the city to Leander , a suburb to Austin's northwest. Since CapMetro began operating

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3276-406: The absence of a regulatory environment and may collect dues or fees from drivers (such as per-use terminal payments, sometimes illegally), set routes, manage terminals, and fix fares. Terminal management may include ensuring each vehicle leaves with a full load of passengers. Because the syndicates represent owners, their regulatory efforts tend to favor operators rather than passengers, and

3354-641: The additional revenue for funding light rail. CapMetro, after raising its sale tax from 0.75 percent to 1 percent in 1995, had stockpiled $ 176 million by the 2000 referendum. When light rail was defeated at the polls in 2000, however, pressure mounted to return the quarter-cent it had been setting aside for rail projects. For years, mass transit detractors had coveted the quarter percentage earmarked for rail projects. Political leaders and organizations, including former Republican state Rep. Terry Keel of Austin, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty and his anti-rail group Reclaim Our Allocated Dollars (ROAD), wanted

3432-407: The agency initially provided only those routes on the contingency map for a reduced number of hours but added others as resources became available. The Sunset Advisory Commission released its report on CapMetro in April 2010. CapMetro formerly contracted with First Transit , Veolia Transport , but still uses the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS). Plans have been circulating since

3510-581: The capitol to Lavaca Street, north on Lavaca to 19th street, then west to Guadalupe ending in a loop at Hyde Park. It was replaced by broken dreams of future residents in February 1940 and the same month Austin Street Railway changed its name to the Austin Transit Company. For the next several decades, the Austin Transit Company was the city's contractor for transportation services. In 1969 and 1970 contentious contract negotiations between

3588-469: The city and the bus operator led to significant changes. In June 1970 the city had granted a franchise to Transportation Enterprises Inc. (TEI) to run a shuttle bus service at the University of Texas . TEI already had contracts from the university to provide bus services. Austin Transit balked at this claiming the city had breached its contract by allowing TEI authority to operate in areas that Austin Transit

3666-600: The city start subsidizing operations in January 1971. However, by March 1971 Austin Transit had a new contract with the city and restarted operations now with a city subsidy. The next year, the city created the Austin Transit System, a city agency which began operations in January 1973 with Austin Transit Co. as the operator of the now city-owned system. CapMetro was established by a referendum on January 19, 1985 to provide mass transportation service to

3744-478: The currency into cedi and pesewa in 1965. In Ghana, tro tro are licensed by the government, but the industry is self-regulated. There was no independent transport authority as of 2008 in the capital, Accra. In the absence of a regulatory environment, groups called syndicates oversee share taxis. These may collect dues, set routes, manage terminals, and fix fares. In Accra as of 2008, such syndicates include Ghana Private Road Transport Union and PROTOA. Despite

3822-641: The exact levels and types of service contracted varies widely between them. Currently only Round Rock has such an agreement. Several other cities were original CapMetro participants but later withdrew: Cedar Park withdrew in 1999, Rollingwood and West Lake Hills both withdrew in 1988, and Volente withdrew in 2016. CapMetro began as a bus-only transit system when it inherited the bus services of city-owned Austin Transit System at inception. However, it has since diversified and now operates commuter rail services, paratransit services, bike sharing and

3900-542: The far suburbs. Express routes are designated as routes 900–999, and are served by buses in the red Express livery (though on occasions they may be served by buses in the regular CapMetro Bus livery as well). In January 2014, CapMetro launched a bus rapid transit service branded MetroRapid, utilizing articulated buses operating in shared lanes with automobile traffic. Service on the first route, CapMetro Rapid North Lamar/South Congress (Route 801), began on January 26, 2014. It replaced existing bus Routes 1L and 1M, as well as

3978-447: The future), 1 new commuter rail line, new CapMetro Rapid bus routes, new regional park and rides, as well as last mile infrastructure investments. Share taxi#United States A share taxi , shared taxi , taxibus , or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus . Share taxis are

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4056-575: The government has instituted a recapitalization scheme to replace the old and un-roadworthy vehicles with new 18- and 35-seater minibusses. These new minibus taxis carry the South African flag on the side and are notably more spacious and safe. Minivans and minibuses are used as vehicles for hire and referred to as dala dala in Tanzania . While dala dala may run fixed routes picking up passengers at central locations, they will also stop along

4134-456: The government, but the industry is self- regulated . In Accra , syndicates include GPRTU and PROTOA. Aayalolo , a bus rapid transit system opened in November 2016; however, most people continued to use trotros as of 2019. The term "tro tro" is believed to derive from the Ga word tro , "threepence", because the conductors usually asked for "three three pence", which was the standard bus fare in

4212-454: The greater Austin metropolitan area. Voters in Austin and the surrounding area approved the creation of the agency, to be funded in part by a 1 percent sales tax. CapMetro commenced operations on July 1, 1985, and took over the existing city of Austin bus services in 1986. In an effort to boost ridership, CapMetro did away with fares completely and instituted fare-free in an experiment that lasted from October 1989 to December 1990. The program

4290-546: The high demand for this service. Taxi operators banded together to form local and national associations. Because the industry was largely unregulated and the official regulating bodies corrupt, these associations soon engaged in anti-competitive price fixing and exhibited gangster tactics – including the hiring of hit-men and all-out gang warfare. During the height of the conflict, it was common for taxi drivers to carry shotguns and AK-47s to simply shoot rival taxi drivers and their passengers on sight. Along with new legislation,

4368-422: The majority of passengers board. In these places, the share taxis wait for a full load of passengers prior to departing, and off-peak wait times may be in excess of an hour. In Africa, regulation is mainly something that pertains to the vehicle itself not its operator or its mode of operation. African minibuses are difficult to tax , and may operate in a "regulatory vacuum" perhaps because their existence

4446-486: The most important modes of transport in big cities like Addis Ababa . They are preferred by the majority of the populace over public buses and more traditional taxicabs because they are generally cheap, operate on diverse routes, and are available in abundance. All minibus taxis in Ethiopia have a standard blue-and-white coloring scheme, much as New York taxis are yellow. Minibus taxis are usually Toyota HiAces , frequent

4524-673: The organization with a one percent sales tax . Operations began in July 1985 and CapMetro took over City of Austin bus services in 1986. In 2010, the CapMetro Rail Red Line, the agency's first rail service, began operations. The predecessors of CapMetro date back to the late 1800's with the establishment of streetcar services in Austin. In 1874, the City of Austin granted the Austin City Railroad Company

4602-410: The performance reviews we have conducted, seen an agency with such a lack of accountability." CapMetro subsequently prepared a greatly scaled-back proposed rail system for voters in November 2004. It sought to build just one starter line that would run north–south at a cost $ 90 million. While the project was somewhat marred by construction delays, questions and safety and cost overruns, the Red Line of

4680-509: The previous, private operators, CapMetro has operated the University of Texas at Austin 's UT Shuttle system. The system is one of the largest university transit systems in the United States and carries over 5.2 million passengers a year. The UT Shuttle network is open to the public but UT students, faculty, and staff receive free transportation on it as well as on all standard CapMetro Bus services. Other passengers pay standard CapMetro Bus fares. UT Shuttle services are seasonal, varying along with

4758-492: The rail service in 2010, the agency has made significant investments in upgrades to the line, a pre-existing freight line that still carriers freight outside passenger operating hours, and facilities including an expanded Downtown station which opened in October 2020. The system was rebranded CapMetro Rail in 2023. In November 2020, Austin voters approved CapMetro's Project Connect transit development proposal which includes

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4836-686: The regulatory challenges, the service was regulated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana . There was 98% compliance to guidelines on physical distancing, although guidelines on individual use of face masks were more difficult to enforce. In the Ivory Coast , gbaka is a name for minibus public transports. The transport regulator in Abidjan , Ivory Coast , is Agence de Gestion des Transports Urbains or AGETU. As of 2008, Abidjan public transport

4914-399: The route to drop someone off or allow a prospective passenger to board. Before minibuses became widely used, the typical dala dala was a pick-up truck with benches placed in the truck bed . In Dar es Salaam , as of 2008, publicly operated minibus service also exists. They are usually run by both a driver and a bus conductor called a mpigadebe , literally meaning "a person who hits

4992-820: The route, often with well-established hand signals indicating the prospective rider's destination, although certain areas tend to be well-known micro-bus stops. Like the Eastern European marshrutka , a typical micro-bus is a large van , most often a Toyota HiAce or its Jinbei equivalent, the Haise , and the latter is produced by the Bavarian Auto Manufacturing Group in 6th of October City in Egypt. Smaller vans and larger small buses are also used. Minibus taxis in Ethiopia are one of

5070-571: The route. Operated by a driver and a bus conductor , who collects money, shouts out the destination, and is called a "mate", many are decorated with slogans and sayings , often religious, and few operate on Sundays. A 2010 report by The World Bank found that Tro tro are used by 70% of Ghanaian commuters. This popularity may be because in cities such as Accra had only basic public transportation save for these small minibuses. An informal means of transportation, in Ghana they are licensed by

5148-580: The sales-tax money to build projects such as a highway loop around Austin and an east–west freeway. As pressure mounted on CapMetro, Keel announced his intention to roll CapMetro's taxing authority back to a half-cent and redirecting the other half-cent to highway construction. To head that off and keep rail's future prospects alive, the CapMetro board passed resolutions in the months after the vote making two promises: It would direct $ 91 million of its existing reserves to local governments for transportation projects, and it would dispense all proceeds that year from

5226-467: The services with the 1% sales tax used by CapMetro participating jurisdictions, Round Rock contracted with CapMetro to provide services for set costs. In June 2018, CapMetro began testing driverless buses . If successful the buses would run for free as part of a 12-month pilot program. In summer 2018, CapMetro began testing autonomous electric shuttles on Downtown streets. The pilot program tested two driverless bus models from EasyMile and Navya on

5304-481: The streets. They typically can carry 11 passengers, but will always have room for another until that is no longer the case. The minibus driver has a crew member called a weyala whose job is to collect the fare from passengers. In 2008, publicly operated public transport was available in Addis Ababa in addition to that provided by the minibuses. A fleet of 350 large buses may operate for this purpose, as such

5382-415: The system to electricity. However, before they could do so a new competitor began operations. In 1890, real estate developer Monroe M. Shipe received a city charter to operate electric streetcars on city streets. Initially, this covered only roads not already occupied by other track but he later convinced the city council to also allow him to operate on Congress Avenue and Pecan Street. Shipe had started

5460-478: The very termini syndicates upkeep can cost delays and money for passengers as well as forcing them to disembark at inconvenient locations, in a phenomenon called "terminal constraint". Some Francophone African countries use the term taxi-brousse ('bush taxi', often spelled with a space rather than a hyphen in English ) for share taxis. In some African cities, routes are run between formal termini, where

5538-688: The way, and the taxi will leave only when it seats all the passengers it can. While stations, set locations to board and disembark, exist, prospective passengers flag down a taxi collectif when they want a ride. Operating inter- and intra-city, taxis collectifs that travel between towns may be called interwilaya taxis . Along with all forms of public transport in Algeria, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada recommend against using these share taxis. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs asks that you use taxis recommended by

5616-414: Was already serving. Austin Transit gave the city an ultimatum saying they would cease operations July 31 unless the city bought the company. Instead, the city expanded TEI's contract to cover the rest of the city using school buses which began August 1 after Austin Transit carried through on their threat. However, by November TEI said it was losing US$ 20,000 and would have to stop service January 1 forcing

5694-549: Was destroyed in a fire and a few weeks later the company merged into the Austin Rapid Transit Railway leading to the end of mule-drawn service in October. The streetcar service faced challenges over the next years including a lack of power that forced the service to return to mules at several points. In 1897, the company began buying power from the first Austin Dam, which had been completed in 1893, but in 1899

5772-548: Was eliminated in lieu of a surface route which had been truncated in length. In addition to its core bus and rail operations, CapMetro operates several additional services: CapMetro operates routes using three different fare classes: Several groups are eligible for Reduced Fare IDs issued by CapMetro entitling them to a discount of half the listed price for fares: seniors 65 and over, Medicare card holders, persons with disabilities, students 6-18 with valid school identification, and active and reserve military with valid ID. No fare

5850-411: Was enormously successful in attracting new passengers, and increased ridership by 75% (though expanded service accounted for some of the growth). The fare-free scheme, however, attracted problem riders who drove away quality ridership. In response, 75% of transit drivers voted to have the program discontinued immediately in 1990. In 1997, a string of Texas Legislature and FBI investigations uncovered

5928-600: Was given a safety review plan 2011. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2023, CapMetro scaled back weekday operations to their standard Sunday schedule. UT Shuttles, Night Owl, and Saturday CapMetro Rail services were suspended, rail replacement bus service, route 455 Leander-Lakeline Shuttle, was operated in place of Saturday CapMetro Rail services, and Capmetro added mobile scanners to both rear and back doors on most Bus vehicles to encourage all-door boarding and thereby social distancing. Most services returned to normal in mid-August 2023. In 2023, Capmetro also began

6006-893: Was serviced by large buses as well as minibuses. Syndicates include UPETCA and SNTMVCI. In Kenya , regulation does extend to operators and mode of operation (such as routes used) as well as the vehicle. In Mali , share taxis are called sotrama and dourouni . As of 2008, Bamako , Mali, has no independent transport authority, but share taxi activity could fall under regulator Direction de la régulation et du contrôle du transport urbain (municipal) or DRCTU control. In Morocco , intercity share taxis are called grand taxis . They are generally old full-size Mercedes-Benz sedans , and seat six or more passengers. In Nigeria , both minibusses (called danfo ) and midibuses ( molue ) may be operated as share taxis. Such forms of public transport may also be referred to as bolekaja , and many bear slogans or sayings . Lagos , Nigeria, has

6084-467: Was without an independent transport authority. Egyptian share cabs are generally known as micro-bus ( mekrobass ميكروباص or mašrūʿ مشروع , "project"; plural mekrobassāt ميكروباصات or mašarīʿ مشاريع ). The second name is used by Alexandrians . Micro-buses are licensed by each of the governorates of Egypt as taxicabs, and are generally operated privately by their drivers. Although each governorate attempts to maintain

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