Car City Chronicles

Houston's free eco buses still searching for more riders: One year in, there's pride and some surprise

It's been exactly one year since the Houston Downtown Management District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation came together to launch launch Greenlink, downtown Houston's first free, fixed-route circular since theMETRO trolley stopped running in 2005.

Ridership over the first year hasn't been as high as initially anticipated, a factor that Downtown Houston executive director Bob Eury attributes to the increased walkability of the area in recent years, as well as alternative transit options like B-cycle and the METRO Rail on Main Street.

Still, an average of 895 riders board the eco-friendly buses between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. each weekday to take advantage of the 18-stop, 2.5-mile route. Service increases during late-week lunch hours and when the George R. Brown Convention Center hosts large-scale events.

"I'm thrilled to see the buses operating and the downtown community utilizing this service," Eury said in a statement. "Our goal was to make them noticeable and unique. You can't miss the bright green and orange Greenlink logo rolling down the street."

Additional routes and hours are currently being considered to support events at the GRB, with pilot programs during the American Association for Clinical Chemistry conference in July and The American Legion national convention in August. This additional service may also be extended for events like the NCAA Final Four in 2016 and Super Bowl LI in 2017.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”