Houston Metro (Sugar Land, Richmond, West: living in, costs, buses)

[blue_haze]

Ok id like some unbiased answers. I'm moving down may 1st and would like to know if the metro runs daily? What time do they start or stop running during the day? Night? What areas aren't serviced like can you hop on a metro in sugarland? What about pearland? What's the biggest advantage of taking the metro. I'm considering living in the inner loop how long would it take to get to greenspoint or galleria?

[Cassino]

Not trying to be rude, but this website will answer most if not all of your questions.

METRO - Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas

Transportation from Sugar Land to Houston is a bit limited because Sugar Land is in Fort Bend county so they have separate transportation systems. There are a couple of routes that run into various parts of Houston.

Here is Fort Bend's site:

Fort Bend County - Public Transportation

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by blue_haze

I'm considering living in the inner loop how long would it take to get to greenspoint or galleria?

METRO probably has slightly above average at best bus service inside the loop. Service to the Galleria would be doable, but Greenspoint would be very tedious and long.

[jfre81]

Galleria to/from downtown or anywhere in between on Westheimer is about as reliable as METRO buses get on the 81/82 routes. How long it takes depends on traffic. It's a bus. It's on a street. Streets have traffic. Westheimer has a lot of it. What might take 10 minutes on Sunday evening might take 30 in the Friday afternoon rush.

[blue_haze]

That's understandble do they run everyday? I think the metro s a pretty reliable source of transportarion especially given the price of gas here. In Ohio I'm use ti half an hour bus rides so that doesn't bother me at all.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by dv1033

METRO probably has slightly above average at best bus service inside the loop. Service to the Galleria would be doable, but Greenspoint would be very tedious and long.

That's not true, by brother moved to Greenspoint two months ago, he uses an express bus that hops onto 45 from UHD and exits the beltway. It uses the HOV on 45 too.

Sounds far less tedious than going to the Galleria on the Westheimer or Richmond buses.

Furthermore, people keep talking about the inner loop like it is best at everything (yes yes, I know, I live in the inner loop so I should be defending it) but it is not. getting around in the SW is on par, or even easier than the inner loop.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by blue_haze

That's understandble do they run everyday? I think the metro s a pretty reliable source of transportarion especially given the price of gas here. In Ohio I'm use ti half an hour bus rides so that doesn't bother me at all.

It depends on where you live. Some buss run really late in the night (I am talking about 2am) and start back up really early (like 4:30 am).

Buses like the Westheimer buses used to run 24 hrs a day on weekdays.

There are a crap load more buses running from downtown or the rail stations going west. It is not an inner loop/rest of Houston thing. The east side of Houston is rather limited buswise, so is the south.

Going west and north offers a lot more buses. On Westheimer for example there is the 53, 42, 78 and the 81 and the 82 so there are buses every few minutes.

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

That's not true, by brother moved to Greenspoint two months ago, he uses an express bus that hops onto 45 from UHD and exits the beltway. It uses the HOV on 45 too.

Sounds far less tedious than going to the Galleria on the Westheimer or Richmond buses.

I see, I'm not familiar with the route so I was guessing. However, you still haven't explained how to get to UHD? But no worries because you couldn't possibly know the starting point. Therefore how can you possibly deduce it's far less tedious by sound alone?! Just having a bit of fun.

Furthermore, people keep talking about the inner loop like it is best at everything (yes yes, I know, I live in the inner loop so I should be defending it) but it is not. getting around in the SW is on par, or even easier than the inner loop.

I see. Well I agree, but I wasn't trying to suggest that in the loop transit is the best.

[blue_haze]

The website however does not provide a telephone number. There are also a lot of park and ride locations for the metro if you didn't want to. Fight traffic or waste gas wouldn't it be advantageous to hop on a park and ridein let's say clear lake and ride downtown. Or how long would a ride be from kingwood to sharpstown or beltway 8?

[lonestarwvu]

The ride to/from from Clear Lake is 35 minutes during rush hour from Bay Area Park and Ride. At peak times it runs every 6-10 minutes. Outside of rush hour it runs less frequently and during the day and evening (9-3 and 7-10 or so) it runs about once an hour as the 249. When it is running as the 249 I avoid it like the plague because it stops at all the park and rides and runs on the highway which makes the trip take a long long time. It does not run on the weekends. It costs 4.50 one way.