College Station city council members received an update at their last meeting about expanded bus service by the Brazos Transit District (BTD).
BTD spokeswoman Jo Penn says this is the second month of two new routes. One is service during peak hours in south College Station that includes the two hospitals, which drew 398 riders in December. The other is the new Texas Express route between south College Station and north Bryan, which generated 2,199 riders in December.
Penn also told the council seven more routes being developed could start this June.
Penn also says the general public can ride Texas A&M buses. It requires passengers going to their office, show a photo I-D and pay $35 dollars for the annual pass. Penn also says they are working to develop a universal pass that will work for both agencies.
Another BTD official, Wendy Weedon, responded to council requests for bus shelters. She says past attempts have failed to receive grant money to purchase shelters, which cost $10,000 to acquire and another $20,000 to $27,000 to install.
The transit district’s presentation did not include the status of the downtown Bryan parking garage. Almost a year ago, fences were placed on the north side of the building due to the possibility of brick falling. And a structural engineer was hired to study the integrity of the entire building, which opened in 2011. While the fences have been removed, BTD officials have not responded to repeated requests by WTAW News to find out if any repairs were done and to learn the findings of the structural study.
Update: On January 17, Wendy Weedon e-mailed this reply to WTAW News: “I am currently working on a response to your questions below. When I get it ready I will send it back to you.”