Earlier today Capital Metro staff joined members of ADAPT in unveiling two newly adopted bus stops outside of the ADAPT offices, located at East 2nd and Chalmers.

ADAPT members kicked off the ribbon cutting ceremony by picking up litter in the area along Route 320. Members then officially adopted their stops with a ceremonial ribbon tearing.

At the ceremony ADAPT Community Advocate and H.A.N.D. Board Member Nancy Crowther said, “We are excited to be representing the community because it’s very important to us, with accessible transportation. We also care about our community, that’s why we’re cleaning it up at our bus stop.”

Juan Wah and Celso Baez from our Community Involvement team have joined YLS as founding committee members and both serve as Welcome Chair and Communications Chair, respectively. You may know them better as the dancing peas and carrots during Stuff the Bus last year.

YLS members are committed to helping students in the critical middle school years by volunteering their time, raising money and spreading the word about UWATX’s Target Graduation program. Meet other friendly faces behind the new Young Leaders Society here.

For a few months, the Founding Committee has been getting a jump start by volunteering time with students in UWATX Target Graduation – a program focused on keeping middle school students on the path to graduation. YLS members engage with students at Webb, Decker and Mendez Middle Schools learning to be volunteer leaders and are encouraged to leverage their networks to mobilize more supporters for the Target Graduation program. Whether it is a campus clean-up, a tutoring session, or a mentoring opportunity, YLS members seek to inspire and shape new leaders in Greater Austin. Through various professional development and fun networking opportunities, the Founding Committee is working to expand YLS and work with other young leaders in the Greater Austin area.

Juan and Celso are passionate individuals who care about the greater Austin community and are thrilled to represent Capital Metro. Within our service area, Juan is the Capital Metro liaison to Austin’s north and north central communities and Celso is the liaison to Austin’s east, southeast, and south-central communities.  Both Juan and Celso are eager to spearhead more corporate community involvement efforts on behalf of the authority.  Together with their fellow YLS committee members they look forward to meeting other dynamic professionals interested in the way young leaders see philanthropy.

We’re sharing this bike safety video with our bus operators. Take a look below and keep these tips in mind for those (rare) occasions when you drive versus taking Capital Metro.

Commuting cyclist? Check out our bike+transit safety tips:

• Always approach the bus from the curb. Never ride around to the front of a bus from the street side.
• Please don’t wait in the street with your bike as the bus approaches.
• Before stepping in front of the bus to load your bike, make eye contact with the bus operator.
• Always load and unload your bicycle directly in front of the bus, or from the curb.
• After unloading your bike, never cross in front of the bus! Wait until it has left the stop.

As a part of their “Living Healthy on the Eastside” campaign, volunteer members of the Alliance for African American Health in Central Texas (AAAHCT) are on a mission to help Austinites stop smoking.

This week they’ll be hitting the streets, along with our MetroAmbassadors, walking and talking with riders at Capital Metro bus stops in East Austin and handing out free smoking cessation information brochures.

Want to know more about the Alliance or their Living Healthy campaign? Check out their blog http://www.atxeastsidehealthnet.blogspot.com/ or follow them on Twitter @AAAHCT

They’d also like to hear from you:

What’s your status?

1. I will never start smoking.
2. I do smoke, but have made up my mind  to quit.
3. I have quit and there is no turning back.
4. I am encouraging someone I love to quit.

To respond TEXT atxnotobacco with a space and then your response (1, 2, 3 or 4) to 84444 (text charges may apply).  For example, if you’ve never smoked, text the phrase “atxnotobacco 1″ as your message to the number 84444.

Did you know that all Capital Metro facilities, bus stops, stations and properties are 100% smoke free?

The passenger boarding areas of Capital Metro transit centers, train stations and Park & Rides are tobacco-free. Please observe the signs that designate these areas as tobacco-free.

In addition, Capital Metro proactively discourages tobacco use within 15 feet of every bus stop for the health and safety of all riders waiting for the bus. Kindly do not use tobacco within 15 feet of your bus stop.

Capital Metro enacted tobacco-free policies at its facilities because it believes that ensuring a healthy work and traveling environment is key to providing quality, state-of-the-art transit services.

For more information on Capital Metro’s tobacco polices (including FAQs and free smoking cessation resources) visit our website at http://www.capmetro.org/rules/.

Want AAAHCT’s brochure? You can download and print your own copy here for free:

Capital Metro was recognized at an ABJ event in March for our employee wellness initiatives. From L to R: Wellness Program Manager Tim Kelly, Humana Market Practice Leader Tom Silliman, Capital Metro Risk Manager Mike Nyren, and Capital Metro Chief of Staff Gerardo Castillo.

Capital Metro remains one of Central Texas’ healthiest employers. Our employee wellness initiatives were recognized in March at an event hosted by the Austin Business Journal and sponsored by Central Health, Humana, RunTex and the Mayor’s Health & Fitness Council.

You’ve heard us talk before about our award-winning wellness program. The program began in 2003 and has been successful in curbing the escalating healthcare costs all companies have faced over time. In fact, for every dollar invested in our wellness program, Capital Metro gets a return on investment of about $2.43 in healthcare savings and a reduction in employee absenteeism.

Some of the elements of the program include four 24-hour onsite wellness centers, free personal training, free nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian  onsite weight loss and tobacco-cessation classes, healthy cafeteria, and a bike loan program, just to name a few. Our Wellness team maintains a public facebook page, and it’s a great resource for healthy recipes, exercises and inspiration. Check it out.

In January, Capital Metro completed its move to becoming 100% tobacco free. Also new: Capital Metro now extends its nutrition counseling and workout classes to employees’ household members, too.

If all of this sounds great to you, perhaps you’d like to join the Capital Metro team? Check out our job board for administrative jobs at Capital Metro. If you’re interested in working for one of our service providers as a bus operator or mechanic, Check out the “Jobs with our Contractors” section on the Contact Us webpage.

Public transportation plays a significant role in finding solutions to the numerous challenges facing America today. Whether it’s more jobs, a cleaner environment, energy independence or a better quality of life; Public Transportation Takes Us There!

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is seeking a diverse group of students from across the country to participate in the 2013 APTA Youth Summit to Advance Public Transportation being held in Washington, DC, June 23 – 27. Students will explore the environmental benefits of public transportation; how communities as a whole can prosper with increased services; the role local and federal policies play in public transit usage; and career opportunities in the transit industry.

If you will be a high school junior or senior in the Fall of 2013, please submit an application today and join your peers from across America as they come together in Washington, D.C.

COMPLETED APPLICATIONS DUE: APRIL 22, 2013

Visit the APTA website for an application.

Completed applications should be emailed to: students@apta.com or faxed to 202-496-4323.

With this ALL EXPENSES PAID OPPORTUNITY*, you will:

• Experience five days in the nation’s Capital
• Meet lawmakers and congressional leaders
• Participate in hands-on local transit tours
• Discover the wide range of exciting career paths within the transit industry
• Learn how public transportation is helping shape a brighter future

For more information, please contact: Program Manager – Educational Services, APTA, Cheryl Pyatt at 202-496-4875 or cpyatt@apta.com.

*All expenses paid by APTA.

You’re in luck this weekend! We’ve got two awesome partnerships going on with Art City Austin and the Texas Rollergirls.

Texas Rollergirls Bout

This Saturday, April 13 (doors 5 p.m.) catch the team that’s #3 in the world, as they faceoff this Saturday at the Convention Center,
Exhibit Hall 5 entrance on 4^th Street. Show a valid MetroRail or MetroBus pass at the door and get $5 off!

Literally feet from the Downtown MetroRail Station, this spot is super easy to reach via any of our services!

The Texas Rollergirls are giving $5 off at the door to all of our 2013 bouts with a valid, current METRO PASS. Look for our ads on Austin buses & trains all over town. And look for the rollergirls to be riding with y’all… because really, there isn’t a better way to travel than on CAP METRO public transit… other than maybe on roller skates! -TXRG

Art City Austin

April 13-14 the heart of downtown gets taken over by the Art City Austin block party and you’ve got a FREE admission by showing a valid CapMetro pass* at the front gate! ($8 value)

Stop by the fest on Cesar Chavez Street at AustinCity Hall for a celebration of art, culture and creativity with over 150 works of art by local artists. (Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.)

Catch a ride there on any downtown bus route.

*ACC green passes will also be accepted.

Get There

Use our handy Trip Planner to get step-by-step instructions for getting from Point A to either of these fun events.

You gonna make it? Send us your pictures to Facebook.com/CapitalMetro or Twitter @CapMetroATX—who knows, maybe you’ll go viral!

Have a safe and fun weekend!

Courtesy of Green Doors

The stop is an Austin original from top to bottom. The structure itself features a unique metal art design by Stanley Studio, led by Green Doors. If that wasn’t enough, GRoWERS stepped in and did what they do best—creating a living space on the roof, complete with prickly pear and agave plants!

This project wouldn’t have been possible without some very creative minds that chose to make a difference by Adopting-A-Stop, helping keep our community beautiful and cleaner.

You can adopt your very own stop!

If you’re inspired you can see your very own name on your favorite bus stop too—Capital Metro offers the Adopt-A-Stop program to anyone in the community!

Check out the Green Doors blog to read the full story and see more pictures of the project!

Special thanks to Capital Metro Board Member Frank Fernandez for helping facilitate this project!

Capital Metro changes transit service three times each year in order to make it more efficient, convenient and reliable. We regularly review changes to infrastructure, housing and employment to determine if adjustments need to be made to make transit service work better for our community.

Service changes allow us to adjust routes, schedules, bus stop locations and facilities in order to improve overall service. Service changes also provide an opportunity to implement new services. Capital Metro’s goal is to be as efficient with its resources as possible, and we allocate service accordingly based on ridership and need.

Last week, Capital Metro invited stakeholders to several public meetings and a webinar regarding our Proposed June 2013 service changes.  We have also visited with several potentially impacted neighborhoods and passengers at bus stops and on-board buses to get feedback on the proposals.

After receiving a great deal of feedback on the Proposed June 2013 Service Changes, Capital Metro has responded by revising our initial proposal for Routes 171 and 383 in Southwest and Northwest Austin to ensure we are meeting your needs as best we can.

Public Meeting, March 5th held at Capital Metro’s Transit Store

In response to feedback from Southwest Austin, proposed changes to Route 171 would only eliminate one neighborhood trip at 4:20 p.m., rather than three trips in the original proposal. Back in late January, Capital Metro staff surveyed customers who use Oak Hill Park & Ride Route 171. The survey findings proved to be valuable in the early developmental stages of our proposal.

Based upon feedback from riders in Northwest Austin, the revised proposal for Route 383 now includes additional bus stops at Capital of Texas and Stonelake to preserve easy access to locations in the GatewayShopping Center.

Capital Metro Online Discussion Forum

We appreciate all the great participation and feedback we have received so far, and we encourage you to keep it coming.  Riders may still discuss individual route proposals on our online discussion forum ideas.capmetro.org/, email us at feedback@capmetro.org, or call 512-474-1200. The public is also encouraged to attend our public hearing on March 18th. See capmetro.org/june2013 for schedule details.

These proposed changes will go before the Capital Metro Board of Directors on March 25th. If approved, these changes will take effect on Sunday, June 9, 2013.

Thank you for riding Capital Metro.

We are especially proud of our local scouts’ role in history. Did you know the Girl Scouts of Central Texas and Capital Metro created the Girl Scouts first-ever Rail Safety Patch Program?

Take a lead from the Girl Scouts and educate yourself about how to be safe around railroad tracks. Check out:

• Stay off the Tracks (with adult and kids pages)
• Capital Metro’s Rail Safety webpage on our website
• Walk Like a Squirrel cartoon video starring Earl P Nutt (also available in Spanish)
• Operation Lifesaver Rail Safety Education (resources, videos, teacher lesson plans and more)

Capital Metro conducts Operation Lifesaver (OL) presentations FREE OF CHARGE to schools, community and educational organizations in the Central Texas region. To schedule a presentation, please contact Mr Celso Baez at 512-389-7559.

Have a safe and happy Girl Scout Day and Women’s History Month.