It's not fare
Getting to the airport just got cheaper: Metro lowers bus fares to IAH
Did you know that Metro runs a bus every half hour from the downtown bus station to IAH? It's statistically improbable that you do, because the service averages just two passengers per ride.
But that's about to change. The bus service, which used to cost $15 each way (pretty much equivalent for what you'd pay to park for the weekend), is slashing the fare to $4.50 and adding six downtown hotel stops to pick up passengers en route to Bush Intercontinental.
Beginning Jan. 23, the 52-passenger bus will lower its fares and begin leaving from the George R. Brown Convention Center instead of the current passenger plaza at 815 Pierce. The changes will last for six months, at which point Metro will reevaluate its efforts to make the service more cost-effective.
The only problem we see with the new plan is it looks like it's aimed more at tourists than locals. We can't imagine many Houstonians on a bus making seven downtown stops before heading to the airport.
And there's the issue of how to get to the George R. Brown or one of the downtown hotels. You have to find a friend to take you, find a place to park your car while gone or live close enough to the light rail to hop onto it to catch the bus.
What do you think? Will you let Metro drive you to the airport?
