Galveston County transit pilot project begins operations

Park and ride from mainland

Wendy Natt, Jul 16, 09.

Earlier this month, the Island Connect Park and Ride service began operations on Galveston Island, offering a commuter bus connection between the mainland and several major workplace destinations on the island.

In the continuing recovery from hurricane Ike, the return of jobs to Galveston has brought with it the island’s previous traffic congestion problems. The pilot transit program was created in an effort to both reduce congestion and decrease transportation costs for commuters, according to a recent Houston-Galveston Area Council Regional Focus newsletter.

Island Connect provides five morning trips between 6:00 am and 8:30 am and five afternoon/evening trips between 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm. Morning service (mainland to island) originates at the Mall of the Mainland; evening service (island to mainland) begins at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Other stops along the commuter route include Downtown Galveston and 53rd @ Broadway (an Island Transit transfer stop). The fifth and final trips of the morning and evening provide direct service to and from Schlitterbahn and Moody Gardens.

One-way trip fare is $2.00 per passenger, and free transfers are available for Galveston’s Island Transit fixed-route system and Connect Transit’s Texas City fixed route system.

The new service is administered by Connect Transit and operated by the City of Galveston.

See Mall of the Mainland’s Park and Ride Overview for more information.