The multifaceted plan provides a roadmap for ridership growth, financial sustainability, and the establishment of key priorities that will strengthen the transit culture for the Houston area.

“This is a great day for the City of Houston. We have challenges, but METRO is on the right track with new leadership and better collaboration with the city and law enforcement than before. Every great city has a viable, successful public transit system. As mayor, I expect METRONow to focus on using resources wisely to build transit that people will use: a cleaner, safer and more efficient system that improves the overall customer experience.”

METRONow focuses on four initiatives, aimed at enhancing the customer experience:

• Strengthening safety and growing security 
• Improving cleanliness across the system
• Increasing service and reliability
• Expanding accessibility

Prioritizing Safety 

The safety of customers, employees, and the public is METRO’s top priority.

In 2025, the Authority will allocate an additional $7 million for expanded security measures, including

• growing security presence by adding additional officers and substations,
• deploying patrols on buses and trains,
• upgrading monitoring technology, and
• installing new lighting and security fencing.

Improving Cleanliness

To maintain a safe and welcoming environment, METRO is dedicating $2.4 million to cleaning efforts in 2025, including:

• deploying eight street sweepers and eight all-terrain vacuum trucks,
• adding new cleaning contracts to support a 24-hour rapid response team that attends to bus stops, rail platforms, transit centers and Park & Rides,
• partnering with management districts to be more efficient in keeping bus stops and shelters clean, including more frequent emptying of trash cans; and
• providing more consistent landscaping across the system to enhance curb appeal.

Increasing Reliability

To improve service and reliability, METRO is committed to helping maintain infrastructure through projects and partnerships dedicated to:

• repairing hazardous sidewalks, crosswalks, and streets,
• refreshing aging and opening new METRO facilities,
• partnering on a $200 million traffic relief plan for Inner Katy mobility,
• partnering on a $300 million Gulfton revitalization effort, and
• investing $100 million into mobility solutions at railroad crossings.

Additionally, METRO is modernizing its fleet and operations by:

• adding 350 new buses,
• replacing 100 METROLift vehicles,
• expanding curb2curb service,
• adding microtransit to our service options,
• expanding customer service hours,
• implementing a new fare system with easier ways to pay, and
• restructuring routes and schedules to meet growing demand.