METRO TO OPEN NEW PARK & RIDE IN MISSOURI CITY
SERVICE TO SUPPLEMENT EXISTING PARK & RIDE

Starting Monday, August 22, Missouri City residents will have another option to get to the Texas Medical Center, or downtown Houston, onboard a METRO Park & Ride bus.

The new service – an extension of the existing route 170 - will operate from a temporary site located at the Kroger parking lot on State Highway 6 at Knight Road.

WHAT:     Ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate launch of Park & Ride

WHERE:  10250 State Highway 6 at Knight Road

WHEN:     8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 2011

WHO:       METRO President & CEO George Greanias; METRO Board Members

                 Burt Ballanfant and Allen Watson; Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen,

                 Jay Spears, Principal at NewQuest Properties; Randall Carle, Kroger 

                 Store Manager

 “This is especially good news to the hundreds of TMC employees who live in Missouri City and are looking for a stress-free commute that is also easy on the wallet,” said METRO President & CEO George Greanias. “Our partners in this – Missouri City, Fort Bend County, the TMC, NewQuest and Kroger – champion our mission of providing better service to the community, and the new lot is an example of how we’re taking steps to improve mobility.” 

Route 170 now has three stops on its schedule, with the first bus rolling out at 5:06 a.m. from the new location on State Highway 6 at Knight Road, on to the existing Park & Ride lot at Fondren and Beltway 8, and the final destination, the Texas Medical Center, with an easy connection to the Red Line.

“Not having to drive or deal with traffic is a plus. This service gives riders the opportunity to use the commute time to relax, catch a few more Z’s, read a book or newspaper,” said Kimberly Slaughter, METRO’s VP of Service Design and Development, who adds that her team is currently evaluating locations for a permanent spot for the service.

Patrons’ out-of-pocket expense for the new Park & Ride will be the Zone 2 fare of $3.25 per ride. Don’t have a Q Card? No worries, as of August 19, patrons will be able to conveniently step inside the Kroger – now a METRO Q Card retailer - to pick up their METRO Q Fare Card.

Service will run weekdays during peak a.m. and p.m. rush hours.  The schedule for the new Park & Ride service is available online, www.ridemetro.org.