The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted 5-1 on Oct. 20 to adopt Transit Plan 2035, authorizing President and CEO Dottie Watkins or her designee to finalize the plan and implement changes through CapMetro's customary service‑change process in accordance with state and federal law.

The plan is a multi‑year blueprint intended to realign bus, rail and pick‑up services to match shifting travel patterns since the pandemic, expand east‑west connections, prepare for future integration with Austin light rail and reallocate existing resources rather than add new funding. "This plan will guide how our system grows, adapts, and serves the community for years to come," said Rose Liska, principal planner in CapMetro's planning department.

Transit Plan 2035 is grounded in data and public input, the agency said: planners reviewed population and employment density, travel behavior (including post‑pandemic cell‑phone mobility data) and received feedback from more than 10,000 community respondents and input from CapMetro employees and operators. Lawrence Dieter, manager of systems development and planning, said the board was being asked to adopt a guiding document rather than an immediate service change. "Each phase of Transit Plan 2035 will be implemented incrementally through CapMetro's standard service change process, which includes additional community engagement and board approval," Dieter told the board.

Key near‑term recommendations cited in the staff presentation include boosting frequency on high‑demand corridors (for example, increasing a route serving Airport Boulevard from 30‑minute to 15‑minute service), realigning routes to improve connections to The Domain and the North Burnet area (including reassigning an underused rail connector to serve the domain and the anticipated North Burnet Uptown station), and creating new cross‑town connections between Southwest and Southeast areas. Planners also propose transitioning some UT shuttle routes to mainline fixed‑route service to provide seven‑day consistent service for students; the UT shuttle committee unanimously supported that proposal, the presentation said.

Board discussion acknowledged tradeoffs. Several board members praised the effort to stretch limited sales‑tax revenues while expanding access; Watkins said she was proud the plan "improves our services without having more money," framing reallocations as fiscally responsible. Board member Ellis opposed the adoption, citing concerns about proposed eliminations and reductions that would affect Southwest Austin riders; the board chair recorded the final tally as five votes in favor, one opposed.

Public commenters raised related equity and accessibility concerns during the meeting's public‑comment period. Zenobia Joseph said the agency's materials contain language that she believes would permit discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities and asked the board to direct an internal audit of newly installed shelters and stops for equity. "This language ... permits you to discriminate against individuals with disabilities," Joseph said. Another caller, Miss Martinez, described repeated problems using MetroAccess and inconsistent responses from dispatchers; Martinez said she felt discriminated against during multiple recent trips and asked the agency to provide consistent training and procedures for dispatch staff and drivers.

CapMetro staff repeatedly stressed that plan adoption is a policy guidance step. Dieter and other staff said any specific service change will return through the service‑change process with additional outreach and board approval, allowing adjustments based on implementation feedback, ridership data and changing market conditions.

The board's adoption authorizes the CEO to finalize the plan and to implement recommended service changes incrementally; staff emphasized that adoption does not commit the agency to implement every concept exactly as depicted and that some elements will be revisited in five‑year updates.

What happens next: staff will begin incremental implementation and additional community engagement under CapMetro's standard service‑change rules; any particular route changes will be subject to separate public outreach and board action under the agency's rules.