A New Way to Austin
By: Sir Bikes A Lot
Edited By: Armaan Babai-pirouz
Anyone who has driven to Austin from San Antonio knows that it sucks. If our political Leaders ever get around to building that Austin/ San Antonio Inter municipal Commuter Rail (www.asarail.org), then there would be an alternative to either Greyhound or Amtrak. But what if there were an alternative to driving between the two cities and most places in between? It’s not a dream set in the far future if or when the commuter rail gets built; it’s available now, Monday through Friday, except on major holidays. It is the Bobcat Tram or as its better known, The BT Interurban Bus Service (www.tram.txstate.edu/bti.html) This service takes the place of the commuter rail service that has been a dream since the 1980’s. Since we don’t have access to commuter rail service (except through Amtrak’s Texas Eagle Service (www.amtrak.com) this bus service definitely makes up for the short fall; especially since Amtrak doesn’t allow you to take your bicycle on the train because there’s no longer check baggage service in Austin—a service lost during the Bush Administration, and yet to be renewed under Obama’s.
This Service has been running since 2006, as I discovered when I first learned about it at a recent MPO meeting www.sametroplan.org. Now, I knew CARTS (Capital Area Rural Transit Service www.ridecarts.com) ran a bus to San Antonio every 1st and 3rd Friday of every month; but I knew nothing about the Monday through Friday service of the Bobcat Tram. After feeling pissed off because I could have used the service left and right since 2006, I decided to go give it a try on the following Monday, March 9.
That morning, I arrived at Randolph Park-N-Ride at around 8:10 in the morning. Since the Bobcat Tram doesn’t stop inside the VIA Park-N-Ride. I had to walk across the street to the XXX Bar. I towed my bicycle by arm to the front of the bar. I saw three people waiting for the bus. All were students going to Texas State University (TSU). It seemed to take forever for the bus to arrive. But it finally came by, about 5 minutes late. I was able to put my bicycle on the rack (which holds up to 3 bikes.) About 7 or 8 students got on board. I appeared to be the only non-student riding that morning.
As we got aboard, traffic was moving pretty well along I-35. Before I knew it, we were in New Braunfels. The Bus got off the Interstate at Seguin Rd, and then it proceeded to go behind the Kinko’s there. I saw two people get on board. They appeared to be students who gave the driver their frequent ride card; it was punched. Everyone who boarded back in San Antonio seemed to be catching up on sleep. The bus remained quiet all they way to San Marcos
As the bus came into San Marcos, I figured our first stop would be the San Marcos Station. Nope, it went directly towards the Texas State Campus. It was about 9:25 by this time, and we had pulled into the first stop on Campus, the Bus Loop. As the Bus was pulling out, I heard a message on the radio about a student chasing after a bus that was leaving. That message surprised this VIA bus veteran, who’s used to the bus drivers not communicating between one another while driving their buses. Nearly all the students got off here, except for maybe one or two.
As we came by the LBJ Student Center, A banner on the side of the parking garage proudly proclaim him being an Alumni of the school. The bus came in and stopped to let everyone off. As the bus came around the circle, I heard another message over the radio about a girl on crutches about to get on. I quickly moved to the seat behind me to let the girl sit down. The bus driver then informed me that this was his last stop and that he was going back to San Antonio. He pointed to where he just let off the last of his passengers, saying that was the bus going to Austin. I quickly packed up my notebook and put on my bicycle helmet. I got my bicycle off the rack and quickly ran to the next bus, only to find it empty with no driver.
Knowing that I had to use the restroom, and had to find more change in the exact amount of $6 to finish my trip, I ran to a Cashier inside the Garage. She quickly informed me that she couldn’t give out change. Sensing panic coming over me, and because I'd been holding it since New Braunfels, I quickly locked up my bicycle and ran to the Restroom inside. As I ran out and unlocked my bicycle, I went back to the bus only to find it still empty and still without a driver. I quickly dug through my wallet and discovered exact change of $6 in ones. Relieved in both areas, I put my bicycle on the rack and patiently waited for the bus driver.
The driver came out of the student center and boarded the bus. He informed everyone that the fare box, an exact duplicate of the one that VIA uses, was not working. He reached over his seat to pull out a brown envelope and took my money. This time, the bus left on schedule. He quickly asked if anybody was getting off at Slaughter Lane. A few people raised their hands and he quickly got out his cell phone and radioed back, saying he was making a stop at that place.
We pulled out around 9:40 AM and proceeded out of town down Guadalupe St. This time I thought that we would pull into the San Marcos Station. An inter-modal Station Where CARTS (www.ridecarts.com/services/fixed-routes/san-marcos-cat), Greyhound (www.greyhound.com), and Amtrak’s (www.amtrak.com) Texas Eagle makes stops. Nope, we just passed by it and went directly to the I-35.
With no more stops until Austin, a sign along the freeway posted 28 miles to Austin. The traffic was moving very swiftly and before I knew it, we were at Slaughter Lane and I-35. The bus turned around and went into the Wal-Mart shopping center. It made the stop right behind the Whataburger. Like so many of the other stops, I began to notice that there was no sign to indicate that the bus made a stop at this location. Two people got off and the person sitting across from me dozed back to sleep. The bus driver informed me at this point that he doesn’t make the stop at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin; that he precedes directly to Highlands Mall. Seeing that the day was pretty nice and my bicycle was along for the ride, I decided to get off at Highlands Mall. This time, as the bus came to a stop at Highlands Mall, it stopped where all the other Cap Metro (www.capmetro.org) buses makes their stop. About a block away was the new Metrorail station. Although the train wasn’t up and running yet, it was something to look forward to on my next trip. All the students got off here, and I did, too. I got on my bicycle and rode all the way downtown in what is, in this author’s opinion, a “bicycle city heaven.” Today was a very important day, for I was having lunch with my old friend at Firebirds.
Some Pointers to Remember……
1.) The 1st pointer is that is that this service, the BT Interurban Bus Service is intended for the students of Texas State University; but they do encourage the General Public to use it as long as you pay the bus fare. I know that you can buy a frequent rider pass at the LBJ Student Center or at a number of HEB’s in San Marcos and New Braunfels. Please check the website (http://tram.txstate.edu) for a list of locations. I recommend it if you are planning to make more than one trip and also the passes never expire. The pass is good for 10 bus rides, not 10 trips to Austin.
2.) The 2nd one is that if you chose to get off at any place other than Texas State Campus, please inform the driver where you want to get off. There are several locations where the bus is authorized to make stops. Please check the Website, but here are the stops I’m aware of so far: I have a list of locations on MSN maps. They are:
Randolph Park-N-Ride
New Braunfels, TX
San Marcos Station Inbound
San Marcos Station Outbound
Slaughter LN (Southpark Mall)
Waterloo
Highlands Mall
Greyhound Station in Austin, TX
(http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=29.693403~-98.108929&style=r&lvl=9&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1&cid=42DA3ED8B995D568!126)
3.) The 3rd thing to know when getting off in Austin, it is really good to know ahead of time where you want to be dropped off. The bus doesn’t stop at every stop in order. It may go to Slaughter first, and then on to Highlands Mall, bypassing the stop at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin (www.tram.txstate.edu/BTI/Aus_Corridor.html). So please check the Schedule and the map concerning which stop you want to get off at.
4.) The 4th thing to remember is that this Bus service is run by First Transit (www.firsttransit.com/contact.php), for Texas State University. It does not have any affiliation with VIA Metropolitan Transit, (www.viainfo.net), Capital Metro, (www.capmetro.org), or CARTS in San Marcos, (www.ridecarts.com/services/fixed-routes/san-marcos-cat).
When talking with a VIA rep at Ellis Alley Park-N-Ride; she told me that she knew nothing about the BT Interurban bus service at all. She did notice the Bus parked at the XXX Bar across the street when she worked at Randolph Park-N-Ride, but knew nothing more. I talked to several students who were getting on in the morning, who wished that this bus would actually stop with the other VIA buses inside the Park-N-Ride. (I have included a letter if you so wish to contact VIA.) Please remember, the people on the phone at VIA customer service don’t ride the bus to work, so please, be nice to them.
5.) The 5th thing to remember is that this bus has a bicycle rack that can hold up to 3 bicycles. So take it along, because as any local cyclist knows, Austin is the place for bicycles. On any given day that school is in session at UT-Austin, you will see the entire campus jam-packed with locked up bicycles. Austin has numerous bicycle routes and greenways. If you are visiting San Marcos, New Braunfels, or Kyle, you will know that it’s just easier to get around on two wheels than to walk everywhere. Remember there is the bus stop in New Braunfels, but it’s a two mile walk to Landa Park. San Marcos has transit service similar to what we have in San Antonio and Austin. The name of the service is CARTS (www.ridecarts.com/services/fixed-routes/san-marcos-cat). I’ll go into more detail about this service later. And finally, keep in mind there are more buses to Austin from San Marcos than to San Antonio from San Marcos. So please remember that when coming back to San Antonio from Austin. Also, this service only runs Monday through Friday; it doesn’t run on major holidays. The Service Changes from day to day, so make sure you double check the schedule for that day. You don’t want to have to buy a bicycle box at the Greyhound Station (I have no idea on how much they cost), not to mention your ticket. Good luck getting your bicycle on the Amtrak’s Texas Eagle in either Austin, or at the San Marcos Station. After all, Amtrak doesn’t allow you to take your bicycle on board the choo-choo without Check baggage. There’s no Check Baggage service at either San Marcos Station or at the Amtrak Station in Austin.
The Bus Ride Home….
After having a great day in Austin of having lunch with my friend, and riding around Lady Bird Lake, I rode to Waterloo Park. The bus stops on Trinity and 15th St., right next to the Cap Metro bus stop. The Bus driver told me that we would be going to Highlands Mall before we headed back to San Marcos.
Virtually everyone aboard got off the bus, except for me, of course. It was just me and the bus driver all the way back to San Antonio. We talked on the way back about who I was and why I was taking the bus. He told me a little bit about himself. I told him that I wanted to get off at San Marcos Station. He offered to let me off at Cheatham St. All I had to do was walk, or in this case, ride my bicycle just one block to Guadalupe. He also suggested that I call ahead, to get picked up at that location. I told him thank you, but that I was going to ride on over to the LBJ Student Center to catch that bus back. I wanted to go into the San Marcos Station to get some CARTS schedule and to go ride up to the Coffee Pot, a local starbucks-like place.
After I got off the bus, I went directly to the San Marcos Station. I was hoping to get a bunch of CARTS schedules, especially the #7, which services the Outlet malls. They had no schedules, so I decided to ride up to downtown San Marcos and the Coffee Pot. Since the last two times I visited San Marcos , I had coffee at Tantric, a place that serves vegetarian dishes and is located in an old house
The Coffee Pot was alive with students cramming before spring break. There was hardly any table where I could sit alone. I sat next to this girl from Houston. She told me that her road bicycle was in the shop next door. She also was studying Japanese as well.
Time was a-wasting, and I had to get to the LBJ Student Center. I rode my bicycle North, onto the campus. Since I didn’t really know where it was, I had to get off my bicycle and run up some stairs. As I came to the bus stop, the Austin side was packed with over 20 students. I went by the San Antonio stop, which had barely a handful, including me.
The bus driver was surprised that there was a bicycle on board. She told me that she never had a bicycle on her bus to San Antonio before. She asked if anybody was going to get off in New Braunfels. She got no replies, and headed off directly back to the Alamo city.
During the ride, we chatted. I told her about me, and she told me about her. We chatted all the way back to San Antonio. I also helped her get to the bus stop. You see, she goes by Weiner rd, to Randolph blvd, and then to Crestway. As I got off the bus, I waved good bye to her. I got on my bicycle and headed to the Park-n-ride. There I had to wait until 11PM for the 14-17 Line-ups to take me downtown, then another Line-Up bus home.
Amtrak or Greyhound:
Well, when I tell people that I did this trip, they ask me, “Was it worth it, going this way instead of Amtrak or Greyhound?” You can check the websites yourself to see if it was worth it. If I had used Greyhound, I would have had to buy a bicycle box both directions. Added to the cost of a round trip ticket of $44, going by Greyhound would have cost more than the $24 by Bobcat Tram.
Now, I love trains. I've loved trains ever since I got my tonsils taken out and I looked out from my hospital Window at the New Jersey Transit commuter train in Point Pleasanton, New Jersey. But unlike Bobcat Tram and Greyhound, there’s only one Amtrak train per day going both ways. Going northbound, departing San Antonio at 7am and departing Austin back to San Antonio (if it's running on time) at 7pm. I would have not been able to take my bicycle with me because they don’t allow you to put it with your carry-on luggage like they do on the West coast and in the Northeast. The round trip ticket cost $24, but no bicycle can travel with you, not even a fold up one. Trust me. I’ve tried to take my bicycle on many times, and my bicycle folds up.
Total Cost:
Bobcat Tram= $24+ NO BICYCLE CHARGE
Greyhound= $44+ $40? for 2 Bicycle boxes
Amtrak= $24+ no bicycle
What can you do with this service…
1. Now my dad used to take me and my brother to swim in the San Marcos River. I can’t do that anymore because I have no car. But if your days off are between Monday and Friday, you sure can. The crisp, cool waters are a treat on any 100-degree-weather days.
2. Shop till you drop, or in this case, shop till only what you can carry onto the bus at the Outlet Malls in San Marcos. I know that you’ve driven by there and wished you could go, but there’s that thing called gas. Sure the Bobcat Tram doesn’t stop there, but CARTS in San Marcos has a regular bus that services those malls. All you have to do is to tell the bus driver that you want to get off at San Marcos Station and go catch the CARTS #7 bus there. On the way back, make sure you call the Bobcat Tram at (512)-754-8993 to tell them that you’re waiting for the bus back to San Antonio. Make sure you buy only what you can carry.
3. Want to make changes or support legislation at the Capital? Go Lobby in Austin. Now I know that the Texas Bicycle League will be lobbying in Austin on April 20th (www.biketexas.org/content/view/1126/883). Don’t have a car to go lobby with them? Go by BT tram. Tell them you’ll be showing up late. That’s OK. The more cyclists there, the friendlier bicycle laws will be on the book.
4. Remember that Light Rail that people voted no back in 1999? Well, screw San Antonio. Austin has one just like it. Its will start running on March 30. You can catch it at Highlands Mall to downtown, or to Leander, TX. Check out Cap Metro’s Web site (http://allsystemsgo.capmetro.org/capital-metrorail.shtml)
Now, if you want to complain to VIA, I've included a letter below with their mailing address and email.
If anybody wished to complain to VIA Metropolitan Transit about lack of communication with the Bobcat Tram, here’s my recommend letter to them. They can be reached by email at http://viainfo.net/Contact/EmailContact.aspx or by mail....
ATTN Via Customer Information Center
Via metropolitan Transit
PO Box 12489
San Antonio , TX 78212-9955
Sir Bikes A Lot
__/__/___
To Whom It May Concern:
Do you know anything about a commuter Bus service that operates between San Antonio and Austin called the Bobcat Tram? http://tram.txstate.edu/BTI.html If so why don’t you let them come into Randolph Park and Ride instead of across the Street at the XXX bar. I would love to be able to by a frequent rider pass for this bus at your customer information both and to also catch it inside the Park and Ride.
I hope you do know it sucks to drive all the way to Austin, right? This is such a great service, please don’t get rid of it, or make it harder for the students at TX State who use it to go there.
Sincerely,
Your Name:__________________________
Your Ph #:__________________________
Your Address or Email:__________________________
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