August 24th marks the start of MetroRapid’s new Route 803 which serves the shiny new Rosedale bus stop on Lamar between Central Market and Taco Shack. The route runs 15 miles from The Domain and UT Research Campus to the north, and south past the UT West Campus, Museum District, the Capitol, Zach Theatre, and on down to the Westgate Shopping Center. The Rosedale station shares many of the features of other MetroRapid stops, including their silver and red coloring, bench seating, shade and rain protection, lighting, and a digital sign indicating
when the next bus will arrive.
Additionally a button is available to provide an audible version of the information on the digital sign. The new buses feature free Wi-Fi and, for the 803 route, are the shorter 40-foot vehicles (as contrasted with the 60-foot buses that serve route 801).
More distance between stops allows the buses to stop less frequently and an on-board system gives buses the power to keep traffic lights green a bit longer to avoid having to stop for so many red lights. These features are designed to get riders to their destinations more quickly. Find out more about MetroRapid’s new Route 803 service.
Riders of route 3, which motors down Medical Parkway, should note that their buses will be coming a bit less frequently. Coincident with the start of the 803 Route service the buses on Route 3 will now show up every 30 minutes during peak time (6am to 8pm) and every 40 minutes at other times.