The first week of service for the Victory Lakes Park and Ride was a great success providing an average of 250 trips a day.  James Hollis, Director of Transportation at Connect Transit, said “Last week’s trip average is 70% of the daily average projected for the first year so we are on track to well exceed our initial projections.”  

The two-way commuter service provided appreciative passengers transportation for the 54.2 mile round trip, southbound to Galveston Island and northbound to mainland cities.  Gulf Coast Center’s Chief Financial Officer Rick Elizondo said “The new two-way service will provide commuters in these communities with an inexpensive alternative to driving to work when gas prices are at an all time high.” 

The newly constructed $5 million, 450-space park and ride facility at UTMB Victory Lakes Specialty Care Center in League City is the result of a successful partnership between Gulf Coast Center and University of Texas Medical Branch and was funded with federal stimulus dollars matched with value of UTMB land lease.  The park and ride service using new 35-passenger buses is managed by Gulf Coast Center/Connect Transit, operated by City of Galveston Island Transit and funded by Houston-Galveston Area Council, Texas Department of Transportation and League City.   Bus service is provided free until May 29th.

Eight morning southbound trips depart from Victory Lakes Park and Ride at 2214 Gulf Freeway South and make five stops on the Island including UTMB, downtown Galveston, ANICO, City Hall, and 53rd & Broadway.   This service offers Galvestonians four morning northbound trips that depart from the Island Community Center at 47th & Broadway and make three mainland stops including Victory Lakes Town Center and Victory Lakes Specialty Care Center in League City and Clear Lake Center in Webster.  For the complete morning and afternoon schedules, please go to Connect Transportation page at the Gulf Coast Center website.
(www. gulfcoastcenter.org/connect_transportation.aspx) 

This new Island Connect park and ride service is funded through resources provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration through the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Transit Pilot Program.  The first year of service is estimated to remove 93,600 single-occupancy vehicle trips from the highways and 1.9 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOX );  and in five years remove a total of 19.28 tons of NOX .  Local support, in addition to bus fares, is being provided by UTMB and the City of League City. The service is managed by Gulf Coast Center’s Connect Transit and will be operated weekdays by the City of Galveston’s Island Transit through an Interlocal Agreement between the Gulf Coast Center’s Connect Transit and the City.